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Chloé Zhao made dismal history at the Oscars Sunday night, becoming just the second woman in Academy Award history to be named Best Director for her stunning work on “Nomadland.”

Zhao beat out Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”), Thomas Vinterberg (“Another Round”), David Fincher (“Mank”) and Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) for one of the top awards on the night.

“Nomadland” stars Frances McDormand as Fern, who sets off on a journey around the country in her van after losing her job.

“People at birth are inherently good,” Zhao said while accepting her award, quoting an old Chinese text her father taught her as a child. “I still truly believe them today, even though sometimes it may seem like the opposite is true. I have always found goodness in the people I’ve met.”

Chloé Zhao made dismal history at the Oscars Sunday , April 25, becoming just the second woman in Academy Award history to be named Best Director for her stunning work on “Nomadland.”

Before this year, only five women had ever been nominated in the best director category: Lina Wertmüller in 1977 for “Seven Beauties,” Jane Campion in 1994 for “The Piano,” Sofia Coppola in 2003 for “Lost in Translation,” Kathryn Bigelow in 2010 for “The Hurt Locker” and Greta Gerwig in 2018 for “Lady Bird.”

Bigelow was the only winner in the Oscars’ nearly hundred-year history.

Zhao and Fennell were also both nominated for Best Screenplay (adapted for “Nomadland” and original for “Promising Young Woman”) and their respective films earned Best Picture nominations.