Beginning this assignment, I could not think of one female director, and low and behold I find one, that directed one of my favorite movies: Lost in Translation. The entire Coppola family have written and directed some of my favorite films. Although Sofia Coppola has had to live in the shadow of the director of such films as the Godfather, and Apocalypse Now, she has become in my eyes a success in herself. Interesting enough Sofia Coppola started her acting career at the age of one year old starring as a little boy called, Michael Francis Rizzi in the Godfather. She is a model, writer, actress, cinematographer, director, and producer. She has been nominated for over twenty awards for directing, and has won eight; which include three British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, three golden globes, and two Oscars for her films Lost in Translation in 2003 and Marie Antoinette in 2006. From my impression of Sofia Coppola she seems like an incredibly gifted and artistic person who has been surrounded and continues to surround herself by creative people.

Although I am a fan of Lost in Translation, I am reluctant to glorify Sofia Coppola’s success based wholly on her own accomplishments. She is the daughter of one of the greatest directors of all time. Does this mean that critics are giving her credit for her work based on the work itself or because she is the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola? Myself, I feel as though her work is much different than her father’s and is in itself wonderful, creative, and glorifying for women in the film industry. She has won awards many awards in her first years of directing where it took some men in the same field much longer. If she was making films that were in fact not films worth watching and winning awards, I would feel as though she is not worthy of her accomplishments, but in my eyes is a successful, creative director, artist, actress, producer and so much more.

Image Source 1: http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/030929/14356__sc_l.jpg
Image Source 2: http://img378.imageshack.us/ifs/585/img176/1/sofialg2.jpg
Image Source 3: http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/images/RikBooth/Lost%20in%20Translation.jpg