Production company Superprime has added Chloé Zhao to its roster of filmmakers for commercial representation in the U.S. Zhao is a Chinese writer, director, editor, producer, and two-time Oscar® winner–Best Picture and Best Director for Nomadland. In September, Zhao appeared on Time’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, on the heels of repeatedly making history as the first woman of color to win many of filmdom’s top awards.
Zhao made history last year as the second woman ever to win the Oscar® for Best Director. Nomadland premiered in 2020 at the Venice Film Festival and was awarded the Golden Lion, and went on to earn the industry’s highest accolades, including Golden Globe® , BAFTA, DGA, PGA Awards, and three Oscars® (the third won by Frances McDormand for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Zhao directed her first feature, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, in 2015. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards. In 2017, Zhao directed The Rider, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors’ Fortnight selection and won the Art Cinema Award. The film also earned her nominations for Best Feature and won Best Picture at the Gotham Awards.
She directed and co-wrote the recently released Marvel Studios’ Eternals, which follows the events of the 2019 Avengers: Endgame and features a race of immortal beings that fight an ancient enemy and shape the history and civilizations of the world. Zhao is currently tackling the classic Dracula, as the writer, producer, and director of a new take on the character in the vein of a futuristic sci-fi western for Universal.
Zhao is no stranger to commercialmaking. Last year she directed a Ford spot promoting its electric vehicles out of Wieden+Kennedy New York. Titled “Make It Revolutionary,” the ad debuted during the opening ceremonies of the 2021 Olympic Games.
Changes Afoot For Cannes Lions 2025, Including Increasing Festival Access For Underserved Communities
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is putting plans in motion for its 72nd edition, set to take place from June 16-20, 2025 in Cannes, France. The Festival has announced that it will double funding to provide €2m (some $2,150,000) worth of complimentary passes to underrepresented talent and underserved communities through its Equity, Representation and Accessibility (ERA) Pass, returning for a second year.
Frank Starling, chief DEI officer, Lions, said the increased investment was “crucial to continue to drive progress for both Cannes Lions and the industry.” Starling added, “The ERA pass plays an important role in fostering a global representation of talent within the creative communications industry at Cannes Lions, and to date our funded opportunities have reached creatives in 46 countries globally. With the Festival being the destination for everyone in the business of creativity, we recognize the importance of creating equitable access to it, and this is why we’re prioritizing increased representation from the Global South to support a greater range of voices and perspectives from the region at the Festival.” Applications for the ERA pass are open now and close on December 5, 2025. More details can be found here.
With submissions into the Cannes Lions Awards opening on January 16, 2025, innovations to the Awards have also been announced today. Glass: The Lion for Change celebrates 10 years since its introduction. The Glass Lion was launched to champion work that used creativity to drive a shift towards more positive, progressive and gender-aware communication, and Marian Brannelly, global... Read More