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Gia Coppola

Gia Coppola
Coppola in 2016
Born (1987-01-01) January 1, 1987 (age 37)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter
Years active2010–present
ParentGian-Carlo Coppola (father) Jacqui de la Fontaine (mother)
RelativesFrancis Ford Coppola (grandfather)
Eleanor Coppola (grandmother)
Nicolas Cage (2nd cousin)
Jason Schwartzman (2nd cousin)
Sofia Coppola (aunt)
Roman Coppola (uncle)
FamilyCoppola

Gian-Carla Coppola[1] (born January 1, 1987) is an American film director and screenwriter. She made her directorial feature film debut with Palo Alto in 2013. A member of the Coppola family, she is the granddaughter of director Francis Ford Coppola and niece of Sofia Coppola.

Early life

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Coppola is the only child of film producer Gian-Carlo Coppola and Jacqui de la Fontaine. Her father died in a speed boating incident while her mother was pregnant with her.[2]

The credits of the 1996 film Jack, directed by her grandfather Francis Ford Coppola, include the dedication "for Gia 'When you see a shooting star...'" (with her name stylised in lower case). She was close in age to the characters in the film at the time.

Peter Getty, son of Gordon Getty, became her stepfather when he married her mother in 2000. They separated in 2009.[3] Coppola grew up in both Los Angeles and the Coppola family vineyard in Napa Valley.[4] Coppola spent much of her childhood on the sets of her aunt Sofia Coppola's films.[5] Coppola worked as a staff assistant in the costume department in Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, and as a creative consultant in Francis Ford Coppola's Twixt.[6]

Coppola dropped out of high school (Archer School for Girls) and subsequently earned her GED. After attending community college, Coppola studied photography at Bard College in New York.[1][7] After attending Bard College, Coppola stated that she "felt a little burnt out on taking pictures after years of churning out so many for classes".[8] This resulted in her turning to film as a medium of interest.[8]

Career

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Beginnings

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Coppola's film career began when she directed a short film for her friend's fashion label.[9] Subsequently, Coppola was hired to make short films for Opening Ceremony which starred Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman (her father's cousin), Zac Posen (who said that "she's going to be the next Coppola force to be reckoned with"), Diane von Fürstenberg, Rodarte, and Elle China.[9][10]

Palo Alto

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Main article: Palo Alto (2013 film)

Coppola made her directorial feature film debut with Palo Alto, an adaptation of James Franco's short story collection of the same name. The film premiered in the Orizzonti section of the 70th Venice International Film Festival, as well as the 38th Toronto International Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado.[11][12] After befriending James Franco, Coppola was asked to adapt and direct his collection of short stories Palo Alto. She said she agreed to do the project because of how well she connected with the source material.[11] When working on the film, she drew inspiration from films such as American Graffiti, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Outsiders, and The Virgin Suicides.[6] Coppola collaborated with her teenage cast to write the script.[13] Many parallels have been drawn between Coppola's debut and Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides, in terms of the style and genre.[6]

In December 2013, it was announced that distributor Tribeca Film had picked up the film for distribution, and it was released theatrically on May 9, 2014.[14][15] The film was released on DVD in the United States on September 9, 2014.[16]

Mainstream

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Main article: Mainstream (film)

In May 2019, Coppola began filming Mainstream, for which she co-wrote the script with Tom Stuart. The film, starring Andrew Garfield, Maya Hawke and Jason Schwartzman, follows three lovers who struggle to preserve their identities as they form an eccentric love triangle within the modern internet age.[17]

Filmography

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Short film

Year Title Notes
2010 Non Plus One Co-directed with Tracy Antonopoulos
2012 Casino Moon Also writer
2015 Strange Love Documentary short;
Co-directed with Tracy Antonopoulos and Samantha Ressler
2022 Jane 2 Segment of The Seven Faces of Jane

Feature film

Year Title Director Writer Producer
2013 Palo Alto Yes Yes No
2020 Mainstream Yes Yes Yes
2024 The Last Showgirl Yes No No

Documentary film

Television

Year Title Episode
2018 Love Advent "Nicola Peltz"

Music video

Year Title Artist
2014 "You're Not Good Enough" Blood Orange
2015 "Your Type" Carly Rae Jepsen
2017 "Cut to the Feeling"
2019 "Applaud" Yves Tumor
2020 "Are You A Magician?" Soko
2023 ”Where do we go now?” Gracie Abrams
2024 "Lucky" Halsey

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
1989 New York Stories Baby Zoe Segment "Life Without Zoe"
1990 The Godfather Part III Connie's Granddaughter Uncredited

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Buckley, Cara (May 1, 2014). "With 'Palo Alto,' Another Coppola, Another Show". The New York Times. Retrieved November 22, 2014. Ms. Coppola is the namesake of Gian-Carlo; her full name is Gian-Carla.
  2. ^ Tatum O'Neal, A Paper Life, 0-060-75102-9 p. 158
  3. ^ Vogel, Chris. "Peter Getty: ex-wife Jacqueline Getty taking oil heir to court to get more money". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  4. ^ Taylor, Ben. "5 Things to Know About Gia Coppola". Swide. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  5. ^ Lee, Stephan (March 28, 2014). "'Palo Alto': See the poster for James Franco's new movie". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Harding, Michael-Oliver. "Gia Coppola's Filmmaking Debut". ELLE Canada. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  7. ^ "A Fashionable Life: Jacqui Getty". May 1, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Blasberg, Derek (April 19, 2012). "A Fashionable Life: Gia Coppola's Vegas". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Cowles, Charlotte (August 10, 2012). "Q&A: Gia Coppola on Fashion Films, Flea Markets, and Her Waffle-Eating Cat". The Cut. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  10. ^ "Gia Coppola". The Collaborative Agency. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Brown, Emma (December 27, 2013). "The Third Generation Filmmaker". Interview Magazine. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  12. ^ "La Biennale di Venezia - Palo Alto". Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  13. ^ Schiller, Christopher (September 5, 2013). "Inside Telluride Film Festival: 'Palo Alto' Interviews". Script Magazine. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  14. ^ Cox, Gordon (December 2, 2013). "Tribeca Film Takes 'Palo Alto,' Gia Coppola's Film Based on James Franco Stories". Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  15. ^ Palo Alto – In Theaters; Tribeca Films; May 20, 2014
  16. ^ "Palo Alto". July 1, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2018 – via Amazon.
  17. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 14, 2019). "Johnny Knoxville, Chris Messina, Alexa Demie, Colleen Camp Join Gia Coppola's 'Mainstream'". Deadline. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
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