Chloé Zhao scooped the Best Director Oscar - The BSA Guide

Brighton College alumna and filmmaker Chloé Zhao scooped the Best Director Oscar for Nomadland earlier this year. She became only the second woman to win this accolade and the first woman of colour to do so. The film also won Best Picture and Best Actress awards at the event, as well as winning four BAFTAs earlier on in the year, where she gave Brighton College a name check, thanking her teachers there.

Chloé was a Sixth Form boarder at the school from 1998 until 2000, where Julian and Alison Withers were the teachers responsible for her pastoral wellbeing. Alison is still a teacher at the College, and said: “Everyone at Brighton College is incredibly proud of Chloé. We were her Housemaster and Housemistress during her time here, and remember her very well. She was always a determined and driven pupil, with a wonderful sense of humour and a keen sense of curiosity. She liked to question things, and she was always fascinated by people and different cultures. She contributed to the life and soul of the boarding house, and we are delighted for her in her success.”

Renowned for its focus on kindness, Brighton College is one of the world’s leading independent schools for girls and boys aged 3-18. The College regularly achieves the best A-level and GCSE results of any co-educational school in the UK, whilst ensuring children enjoy a wealth of extracurricular opportunities.