Steven Spielberg made a surprise appearance at the London Film Festival premiere of Chloé Zhao’s “ Hamnet ” on Saturday night, praising the director for her latest film.

The audience at Royal Festival Hall erupted in cheers as Spielberg took the stage and explained how he first met Zhao at a dinner for Oscar-nominated directors, the year after she won the award for “Nomadland.”

“We became friends and we’d have lunch together at Amblin and I’m just amazed by her, you know,” Spielberg said before sharing what he thinks makes Zhao such a special filmmaker.

“I really believe the earth has a heartbeat. It’s a 24/7 seismic cycle, and all of us are connected to this heartbeat which happens right under our feet. But Chloé Zhao is connected to it in a profound way because it’s where her art

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