Her efforts and contributions may open Hollywood to more women who wish to work behind the camera. That is a bit ambitious, sad to say.
Sofia Carmina Coppola was born May 14, 1971 and is a director, actress, producer, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is the first American woman and only the third woman in history to be nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Directing.
Sofia Coppola is the daughter of director Francis Ford Coppola, sister of Mary Coppola, Roman Coppola and the late Gian-Carlo Coppola, niece of Talia Shire and a cousin of Nicolas Cage, Jason Schwartzman and Robert Carmine/Schwartzman.
Her first film experience was playing the infant for the baptism scene in The Godfather, appearing with both Al Pacino and Diane Keaton. Coppola attended Mills College and the California Institute of the Arts. After graduating, she started a clothing line called MilkFed that is sold exclusively in Japan. Coppola became known as a pop culture idol of the underground indie/music world. She hosted a short-lived show, Hi Octane for Comedy Central. The show featured anyone and everyone in underground music and a bit of grunge.
Playing Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III, (1990) basically ended her would-be acting career. Along with her Oscar© nomination for Best Director, Lost in Translation, she took home the Oscar© for Best Original Screenplay. Her efforts and contributions may open Hollywood to more women who wish to work behind the camera. That is a bit ambitious, sad to say.
Lost in Translation, a drawn out tale about isolation and desperation is visually very keen. Cinematographer, Lance Accord, Being John Malkovich, helps set a mood of isolation using dim lighting and stark contrasts of blinding city night scapes of Tokyo. The performances of both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are unduly restrained. Perhaps, due to the story line, but neither actor shines here as in their other work.
In 2006, Coppola released Marie Antoinette, a retro-1980’s theme placed against the historical backdrop of the doomed queen. Packed with your favorite song hits from the era, it won an Oscar© for Best Costume that same year.
Coppola’s father, Francis executive produced Marie Antoinette, clearly giving her more freedom than many other female directors, writers and producers. The irony is that while that may seem *unfair,* Sophia Coppola is the first American woman to be nominated for Best Directing. By this achievement, she has begun to put women in the running.
Ms. Coppola divorced her husband, Spike Jonze in 2003 and lives with Thomas Mars of the French rock band, Phoenix. They have a daughter named Romy, who is named in honor of the director's brother, Roman. She is currently in pre-production on her next project.
