HONG KONG -- Chloe Zhao became the first Asian woman to win an Academy Award for best director on Sunday, crashing through one of Hollywood's toughest barriers with her film "Nomadland," which also won best picture.
Only two other Asian directors have won the best-director prize: Taiwan-born Ang Lee for "Brokeback Mountain" and "Life of Pi," and Bong Joon-ho of South Korea for "Parasite."