The film industry has been going through some things lately, but while we were concerned with how the business will survive this endless pandemic, a seemingly undeniable success story has begun to take shape around director Chloé Zhao’s film Nomadland. During the summer, the film won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and a similarly prestigious film (albeit with a less exciting name) People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, effectively guaranteeing a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars – if a historical precedent is any indication, since all TIFF winners in a decade have had one. So again, this is the first time ever that the same film won TIFF and Venice, so a historical precedent is a little more difficult to trace. (Nomadland It was also one of The AV Club2020 favorite movies, Just throwing it out there.)
Now, NomadlandThe meteoric rise of continues: As reported by Variety, the film also won the National Society of Film Critics Best Film award, with Zhao also receiving Best Director, star Frances McDormand receiving Best Actress and director of photography Joshua James Richards receiving Best Photography. The National Society Of Film Critics does not always line up with Oscars as cleanly as some other organizations, but it accurately anticipated Oscar victories for Parasite, Moonlightand Spotlightall rhyming and won the award for best film from both organizations. Nomadland don’t rhyme with them, but we’ll have to wait until the Oscars this year to see if that matters.
Also, as people will point out with enthusiasm or dismay for the rest of the year (depending on how they feel about a three-letter acronym that has come to define the American film industry): Zhao’s next film after Nomadland it’s from Marvel Eternals, an adaptation of a strange book by Jack Kirby this could be the next big thing in the MCU. It is logical, then, that many people will keep an eye Nomadlandthe answer of the award season.