Cinema Studies is excited to announce that writer and director Chloé Zhao will join us spring term for the third annual Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Series!  Zhao's feature debut, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, screened at the Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight, and was nominated for three 2016 Independent Spirit Awards. Her most recent film, The Rider (2017), won the top prize at the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes and is nominated for multiple Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Feature and Best Director. The Rider also received the Werner Herzog Foundation Award for its courage and vision. 

Funded by the Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Endowment, Zhao will also guest lecture in the spring term course "CINE 408:  The Art of Directing."  During this class, students will learn how to create compelling characters and use the power of cinematic language to affect audiences. 

“This wonderful gift from Harlan (PhD '74) and Rima Strauss is providing life-changing opportunities for our students to spend quality time with the best and the brightest from across the industry. Harlan and Rima truly understand how important experiences like this are for students who want to pursue a career in film,” Michael Aronson, cinema studies department head.