Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025

The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.

With Songs My Brother Taught Me, The Rider and Nomadland, Chloé Zhao combined the aesthetics of documentary and narrative filmmaking to thrilling effect. Her singular approach to filmmaking also produced Eternals, a fascinating outlier in the Marvel™ universe. Her take on Hamnet, co-written with the novel’s author Maggie O’Farrell, sees Zhao excitingly move into historical literary adaptation.

Zhao attended the 2025 BFI London Film Festival, where Hamnet premiered, and joined us for this fascinating Screen Talk, in conversation with critic Rhianna Dhillon.