Nomadland

Known for her interest in cinematic underrepresented subcultures, writer, director and editor Chloé Zhao's (The Rider, 2017 and Songs my Brother Taught Me, 2015) third feature Nomadland, focuses on the thousands of houseless people in their 60's and 70's leading a nomadic lifestyle, in search of seasonal work or better weather.

Inspired by Jessica Bruder's 2017 acclaimed, non-fictional narrative, Zhao adopted a melancholic, quasi-documentary approach, centering the film around the experiences of Fern (2018 Academy Award winner Frances McDormand, co-producer), driven into the temporal community in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crash. In addition to McDormand, enhancing the personal tone are the few professional supportive cast such as David Strathairn as Dave and the largely unprofessional cast of seasonal dwellers encountered along the way such as Linda May and Swankie.

Intimate and non-judgemental, Nomadland ultimately demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit, through a journey in the vast, silent and rugged midwestern landscapes, captured by cinematographer Joshua James Richard's widescreen framing, coupled with Ludovico Einaudi's soft piano score.

Nomadland won the 2020 Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion and the Toronto International Film Festival's People's Choice Award.