“The Rider” — and other women-directed offerings — have received little attention in awards conversations this year, but Chloé Zhao’s latest just scored a major honor. The portrait of a Lakota cowboy dealing with the aftermath of an injury won best picture from the National Society of Film Critics, The Los Angeles Times reports. Set on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the drama stars Brady Jandreau.

Since its premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, “The Rider” went on to screen at fests such as Telluride and the Toronto International Film Festival and hit U.S. theaters in April 2018.

“I was drawn to a way of life in the heartlands of America that seems to be rapidly disappearing, and I feel very compassionate towards people who refuse to move on and who try to hold on to their way of life and their identity,” Zhao told us of “The Rider”. She said she hoped audiences would “see why it’s so difficult for these young men to let go of their cowboy identity and understand the risks and sacrifices they make for the sense of freedom they feel when they ride.”

Zhao made her feature debut with 2015’s “Songs My Brothers Taught Me.” She’s been hired to direct “The Eternals” for Marvel, a big budget pic about super-powered individuals fighting to control the universe.

The National Society of Film Critics chose a film with a woman helmer as its best picture last year as well. Greta Gerwig’s Saoirse Ronan-starrer “Lady Bird” took home the honor. The film went on to earn a number of Oscar nods, including Best Director and Best Picture.

The National Society of Film Critics is composed of 62 members from across the U.S.

Women and Hollywood and Women in Film LA have teamed up on a social media campaign reminding voters and the public to consider women directors. Oscar noms will be announced January 14.