Sofia Coppola, the acclaimed director known for her works The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette and Lost In Translation among others, has just become the second woman to win the Best Director award at Cannes Film Festival, which has been running for 70 years.
The first award went to Russian director Yuliya Solntseva for her film The Story of the Flaming Years, which was released in… 1961. So Coppola has not only doubled the number of these awards which women have won, but ended a 56 year dry spell.
For her film The Beguiled, Sofia Coppola has been awarded Best Director at Cannes Film Festival, the first women to do so in 56 years.
This year’s festival jury was helmed by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar and also included Will Smith and Jessica Chastain. Coppola received the Best Director award for her film The Beguiled, a civil war thriller starring Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell.
Coppola has a longstanding history of female storytelling, regularly if not always employing strong women in lead roles. In her acceptance speech, she thanked “Focus Features and Universal for their support of women-themed films.”
Also at Cannes Film Festival: Twin Peaks held its official premiere and Elton John revealed new film clips for Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer and Bennie and the Jets.
Via Junkee.
