Person Biography:
Chloé Zhao, born Zhao Ting on March 31, 1982, is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, and producer. She is known for her critically acclaimed films, including Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider.
Zhao was born and raised in Beijing, China, to father and stepmother, Chinese actress Song DanDan. Growing up, she was very rebellious and drawn to influences from Western pop culture. She attended a boarding school in London before moving to Los Angeles to finish high school.
Zhao studied at Mount Holyoke College, earning a bachelor's degree in political science. She worked odd jobs as a party promoter, in real estate, and bartending before studying film production at New York University Tisch School of the Arts.
In 2010, Zhao's short film Daughters premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and won several awards. Her feature film debut, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was later nominated for Best First Feature at the 31st Independent Spirit Awards.
Zhao's second feature film, The Rider, was critically acclaimed and received several accolades, including nominations for Independent Spirit Award for Best Film and Best Director. The film follows a young cowboy's journey to discover himself after a near-fatal accident ends his professional riding career.
Zhao's impetus for making the film came when Brady Jandreau, a cowboy she met and befriended on the reservation where she shot her first film, suffered a severe head injury. Jandreau later starred in the film playing a fictionalised version of himself.
In April 2018, it was announced that Amazon Studios greenlit Zhao's upcoming untitled Bass Reeves biopic, a historical Western about the first black U.S. Deputy Marshal. She is set to direct the film and write the screenplay.
