Sofia Coppola on Priscilla, Lost in Translation and her filmmaking career | BFI in conversation

Sofia Coppola visits the BFI Southbank to talk to director Richard Curtis about her career, including her latest film Priscilla and new book Sofia Coppola Archive.
From her feature debut The Virgin Suicides through to latest film Priscilla, Sofia Coppola has established herself as one of the most distinctive voices in American cinema, with a compelling exquisite style. Through atmospheric filmmaking, sumptuous dreamlike visuals, and her honest and genuine explorations of themes of human connections, girlhood and youth culture, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker has drawn us into a range of different intimate worlds across her filmography.
Subscribe: bit.ly/subscribetotheBFI
Claim an extended BFI Player Subscription free trial (UK only) - subscribe using code BFIKZbin: theb.fi/player-subscription
Watch more on BFI Player: player.bfi.org.uk/
Our TikTok: / britishfilminstitute
Like us on Facebook: / britishfilminstitute
Follow us on Instagram: / britishfilminstitute
Follow us on Twitter: / bfi

[@polinalovesyoutube]

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to these two great filmmakers ❤

[@yearofthedragonjane]

Oh how I love Sofia

[@TheBella2u]

What interview did you watch? He’s great. Didn’t break in all the time and allowed her plenty of time to finish.

[@deborahcurtis1385]

True!

[@simonjenkin]

god i wish they'd gotten a better interviewer

[@sunnysideup33]

A secret mansplainer. He is rude and arrogant. No respect for Sopia. He don't even understand "There is always a girl trying..." On that point, it's easy to see, where he comes from.

[@Tracydot3]

He made me so uncomfortable.

[@j.s3300]

😂😂

[@deborahcurtis1385]

@@sunnysideup33 But Sofia says this herself, early on. So he's just reflecting her words back. You're not much of a commentator TBH.

[@deborahcurtis1385]

@@Tracydot3 ...because? How about just accepting he's from a different generation, but this is about the exploration. If your'e constantly signposting it's just very difficult to enjoy yourself. He and she both refer to the edit function of the current generation and he says his daughter is always on his shoulder and this is why he rarely says much these days. They are observing and reflecting so try to do the same without so much judging. Judging is useful but then it gets in the way. This is one of those times. IMO

[@TheFulhamboy]

Richard Curtis in conversation*

[@sunnysideup33]

With himselfe.

[@burgesssam]

thank you sofia

[@PokhrajRoy.]

So happy to see her in this interview yay

[@johnsharman7262]

" Nice to see where we're going" says Sofia, after a long rambling question. He at times seems to use her as an aide de memoire of his own thoughts.😢

[@deborahcurtis1385]

I think the interview is charmingly rambling and SC seems to be enjoying herself. You can tell by the tone of her voice. She is opening up about the creative process and because Curtis is doing it from POV of another writer film maker it's got a less structured more exploratory focus. I don't see her remark is being snippy or critical at all. It's just reflective. At the end she clearly says, "that was so fun!" and touches him on the arm by way of reassurance Aware that he is in awe of her and felt inadequate to the job. If she so clearly enjoyed it, why can't we?

[@j.s3300]

Fanboys are annoying

[@TheUndeclaredNation]

i thought interviewer was very complimentary of sofia idk

[@deborahcurtis1385]

People need to be offended on her behalf, even when she is clearly quite enjoying herself.

[@zunamiii]

Sofia is so talented and lovely !

[@deborahcurtis1385]

She has a very kind and non-egoistic way of being. I'm sure she's got toughness there, it's obvious that to be successful it is there. But she is so comfortable with being sensitive and collaborative. This is the way!

[@sabrinaerickson7098]

Who is the interviewer?

[@taufiqhariyadi]

[@asimhanif7610]

Daughter of a father who defined culture daughter who wrote in between travel's. Lost in translation

[@Auldreekie967]

You lost me at Richard Curtis

[@commonwunder]

Sofia Coppola made her own 'Life Without Zoë,' when she made 'directed/wrote' 'On the Rocks' 2020. In it there's a conceit that asks the viewer to believe, an African American would cheat on his wife. The whole movie balances on the idea that he might? Whereas 'modern audiences' know that could never happen, in a movie made by Ms.Coppola. That would be racial stereotyping. Which is not acceptable anywhere, let alone in a mainstream film. It is Life Without Zoë part two... a voyage into a childlike dream, of what the adult world must be like. She wrote a narrative story, in order to appease societal standards... that kamikazes itself from the get-go. The telling thing is, I doubt she was even aware of it. As a filmmaker and as an adult.. do you think she was really that naive, or is she just that exceptionally privileged?

[@LeekClock]

Curtis is patronising and sycophantic at the same time. "You should be very proud of the quality of your work" -- as if he'd end on that chestnut after interviewing a successful male director.

[@deborahcurtis1385]

No he's just got a very British and old fashioned mode of expression. He means it sincerely and is showing respect and understanding in his questions.

[@progressivedemagogue8480]

Shut up

[@sunnysideup33]

Richard Curtis. What horrible person.

[@pooperscooper002]

why? im not through the video yet i dont think he seems so egregious

[@SUBSYNDICATE]

what about the futuristic Metropolis movie she's about to make?

[@nonever10]

Her father, Francis Coppola, is making Megalopolis.

[@antoinepetrov]

It's her father, not her. What a misconception she's got anything to do with her father's work. And also, Metropolis was made by Fritz Lang almost 100 years ago, you're talking about Megalopolis

[@jazzy4cool]

@@antoinepetrovbrah chill💀 u can inform in a nicer wat lol

[@sigma_curry]

Nepo baby

[@deborahcurtis1385]

I think that label should be reserved for those without talent, and those who do nothing worthwhile.

[@65g4]

Oh go away im so sick of people calling her a nepo baby shes done her career on her own her terms she didnt need her dads help

[@deborahcurtis1385]

@@65g4 They want her to get her memory of her childhood, her family and her life erased, and on the streets to put her supposedly on equal footing with the rest of us. It's bizarre, I feel like everyone should watch some Chekhov to sort themselves out, but that's way too subtle, I fear. Uncle Vanya. The Cherry Orchard. it's all about the wistful demise of the cultured, and the imminent Bolshevic Revolution. Everyone's got a theoretical solution. but life is complex. This is what Sofia Coppola celebrates the complexity the subtlety and the joy. I"m not saying we can't use more social equality but picking on SC is ill-conceived at best.

[@moviemazlow]

Yes, and?

[@noBearAdventures]

I don’t know if you can call someone a nepo baby when they end up being super talented. Would you call Ken Griffey Jr. a nepo baby? Or do they have a combination of great genes for their chosen profession, as well as the benefit of being around the craft/sport of their parents for their entire lives. Here’s what I’m saying… my dad was an amazing businessman, who is amazing with his money and finances. And yet… I learned all of that from him my whole life, and I couldn’t suck more at that stuff if I tried. Lol. I had every opportunity to be a “nepo baby” from him: but I just didn’t have the “talent”. That said, I have my own talents that he doesn’t posses. We’re all good at something

[@chelseysalas8112]

That interviewer is so annoying

[@j.s3300]

That director

[@deborahcurtis1385]

Glad you got that out of your system? Can you find anything good about the interview because I found plenty. Coppola clearly has respect for him even if you do not.

[@commonwunder]

Elvis had the same upbringing as Michael Jackson would... many years later. He also lived in an ultra protective cloud where saying no to him was never an option. He was a 'forever child' and that brings with it some severe mental deviations from the norm. But the 'Priscilla' movie is an extremely poor 'one-sided' account of what actually happened. Priscilla was/is no wallflower. She knew exactly what she wanted and used manipulation to achieve it. She saw a man-child and made herself indispensable to him. She manipulated her family to be allowed to visit him. She wanted the huge house, money and servants to attend to her every whim. There're many women who have had terrible experiences in their life... Priscilla is just not one of them.

[@carmenlopezmendez5862]

How can you say SHE manipulated him????? she was 14

[@stonek542]

She was a child...Nice try though

[@commonwunder]

@@carmenlopezmendez5862 Because he had the mental age of a twelve year old.

[@commonwunder]

@@stonek542 So was he... she just happened to be less of child than he was.

[@stonek542]

@@commonwunder Dude he was a 24 years old man and she was a 14 year old child. Stop being delusional.

[@coliemaurie5526]

It's really a problem to base a movie pretending that she would be portraying one of the most legendary artists only based on the very subjective ex' wife's side of their private story; or even worst : portraying independent women of the sixties based on Priscilla Presley’s very few years of such a bad marriage

[@j.s3300]

As opposed to any other biopic...grow up

[@coliemaurie5526]

@@j.s3300 which book for Baz Lurhmann movie ?

[@j.s3300]

@@coliemaurie5526 if you dont know then why even bother? Silly person

[@coliemaurie5526]

@@j.s3300 Everyone knows that Baz Lurhmann's biopic like many other ones is not based on any book. Keep calm and enjoy that fiction movie.

[@deborahcurtis1385]

I'd like to read your summary of Proust. Man has bored days and spends his time reflecting. The end.