Sofia Coppola is officially the second woman ever to win “Best Director” at Cannes Film Festival. She was awarded this prestigious honor on Sunday for The Beguiled, a dark thriller starring Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Colin Farrell. The film is being described as her most feminist work to date.
Starting off as an actress in various small roles in her father, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather series, Sofia Coppola first entered the world of directing in 1996. Her debut full length film, 1999’s The Virgin Suicides earned tremendous critical acclaim; and 2003’s Lost in Translation delivered one of Bill Murray’s and Scarlett Johansson’s best performances of their respective careers.
The Cannes Film Festival “Best Director” award was last presented to a woman in 1961. That award was presented to Yuliya Ippolitovna Solntseva for The Chronicle of Flaming Years. Coppola’s win 56 years later comes at a time where female directors are still underrepresented in Hollywood, especially on large projects. Fortunately, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman is currently generating tremendous pre-release buzz and positivity. Jenkins earned praise for 2003’s Monster, and hopefully the expected success of Wonder Woman will create more opportunities for female directors moving forward.
Congratulations to Sofia Coppola for earning this prestigious award! The Beguiled opens in American theaters on June 23rd, 2017. Stay tuned to Horror News Network for more details on these exciting projects as they break!
