Sofia Coppola making a name for herself

By Lauren Nelson
On-line Forty-Niner

Behind a modest smile and curious eyes is Sofia Coppola, the 32-year-old filmmaker who is getting recognized for her own career after years of being daddy's little girl. Her 2003 film, "Lost in Translation" starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansen proves that she has what it takes to run with her celebrity family that includes "The Godfather's" Francis Ford Coppola, cousin Nicholas Cage and ex-husband, filmmaker Spike Jonze.

It is not strange that after many successful attempts at high-profile careers Sofia Coppola has decided that film is her passion. At the age of four she was already spending hours with her father on the set of "Apocalypse Now." It wasn't too many years later that she was cast as Vito Corleone's grandchild in "The Godfather" trilogy. For fun, she also acted in "The Outsiders" and "Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace."

A working girl as a teenager, Coppola experimented with photography, fashion design, costume design, acting, and a modeling for Marc Jacobs. In the early 90s, Sofia introduced her line of sportswear/street wear known as Milk Fed. She did the designing while her friend did the needlework. Her stores, Heaven-27, are based out of Tokyo and Hollywood.

Coppola would escape from her Milk Fed loft to work on her independent film, "Lick the Star." This is when she discovered that film was her forte.

In a recent interview Coppola said, "I wanted to be an artist, but I wasn't sure which medium. I started out painting, but I didn't like what I painted. Then I got into photography. But I thought about going to film school. I almost went to NYU but I wanted to try different mediums and find out what fit. It wasn't until I made my short film, 'Lick the Star,' that I figured out what I wanted."

In 1999 Coppola was inspired by Geoffrey Eugenides tragic novel, "The Virgin Suicides." She wrote a screenplay that even her critical father fell in love with. With the help of her father and Euginides, Coppola was able to direct her first feature film starring Kirsten Dunst, Kathleen Turner and James Woods. Even Eugenides was pleased with the final project and felt that Coppola kept the dream-like tone of the novel about adolescent boys who are obsessed with the five Lisbon sisters who, in the end, kill themselves.

Sofia Coppola's work is earning praise by Hollywood in a way that it never has. For her knew film, "Lost in Translation," she recently won two of the three Golden Globes that she was nominated for. This movie also earned her an Academy Award nomination for this year.

Without showing too many people the script, Sofia Coppola took her small crew to Tokyo to shoot the film about two unhappily married people who become great friends.

Despite rumors that her screenplay is a version of her failed marriage with Spike Jonze, Coppola can't deny that her life is evident in her films, even though she might like it to be. "Lost in Translation" is an example of love and relationships that works out for the best, on film and off.

Coppola is already at work designing Marc Jacobs bags for the fall line. She is sure to be around for a lifetime, whether it be on the screen or behind the scenes.