LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chloé Zhao became the second woman to win best director at the Golden Globes in a year in which three women were nominated for the first time in the category.
Zhao is also the first Asian woman ever to win the best director's award, the New York Times reported.
Zhao was honored for her work on "Nomadland," about people who take to the road and move from place to place seeking work for usually low wages.
It stars two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand and includes nonprofessional actors. "Nomadland" also won best motion picture drama on Sunday night. Zhao is a leading Oscar contender.
In 2015, Zhao made her feature directing debut with “Songs My Brother Taught Me," The Associated Press reported.
She joins Barbra Streisand, who won in 1984 for "Yentl," as the only women to win directing honors at the Globes.
According to Entertainment Weekly, only five women had been nominated in the category before this year: Ava DuVernay, Kathryn Bigelow, Sofia Coppola, Jane Campion, and Streisand.
