“Nomadland” has been awarded Venice International Film Festival’s most prestigious prize, the Golden Lion.

Written and directed by Chloé Zhao, the drama tells the story of Fern (Frances McDormand), a woman from a Nevada mining town destroyed by the Great Recession. The 60-something begins living as a modern-day nomad, traveling across the U.S. in her camping van.

“Nomadland,” which is also screening at the Toronto International Film Festival and Telluride-supported drive-ins, is the fifth woman-directed title to take home the Golden Lion. It follows in the footsteps of Margarethe von Trotta’s “Marianne & Juliane,” Agnès Varda’s “Vagabond,” Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding,” and Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere.”

Slated to hit theaters December 4, “Nomadland” currently boasts a 100 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The pic is already generating awards chatter for both Zhao and McDormand, the latter of whom won Oscars for her leading roles in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and “Fargo.”

Zhao previously directed “Songs My Brothers Taught Me” and “The Rider.” Next up for her is “The Eternals,” a Marvel pic about super-powered individuals fighting to control the universe. Its ensemble cast includes Angelina Jolie and Gemma Chan.

When we asked Zhao’s advice for other women directors, she said, “Follow your gut instinct. It may not always be right, but it’s what makes your work unique.”