ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images
Earlier this year, The Hurt Locker's Kathryn Bigelow made history by winning the Academy Award for best director -- and on Saturday, Sofia Coppola scored another win for Hollywood's women directors. Coppola was awarded the Golden Lion, the highest honor at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, for her new film Somewhere. Take a look at the movie's trailer, below!
The story of Somewhere is reminiscent of Coppola's 2003 hit Lost in Translation: a jaded Hollywood actor (Stephen Dorff) forms an unlikely bond with a younger girl, changing both of them forever. If you were creeped out by the May-December romance between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannsen in Lost in Translation, you can relax -- this time, the girl is the actor's estranged 11-year-old daughter. That role, by the way, is being played by Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning's equally cute little sister. Says Quentin Tarantino, who headed up the jury at the film festival: "This was a film that enchanted us from our first screening."
It's so exciting to see female directors, who still have difficulty getting respect in male-dominated Hollywood, finally receiving some recognition. But of course, there are always naysayers -- and this time, they're saying that Coppola got the award because Tarantino, her ex-boyfriend, was playing favorites. You may also recall gossip about Bigelow's ex around Oscar time; many media outlets framed the awards show as a fight between Bigelow and her ex-husband James Cameron, director of Avatar. Both of these make good stories, but both Coppola and Bigelow are established, talented directors. Why can't we talk about their work without bringing up the guys they've been involved with? We look forward to the day a female director wins a major award without a famous man looking over her shoulder.
Still, we congratulate Sofia on her achievement and we look forward to seeing her new film. Somewhere comes to theaters on Dec. 22.
Are you more likely to see a movie that's directed by a woman? Chime in below!
Like This? Read These:
- PHOTOS: Star Snapshots: Hottest New Photos
- VIDEO: Sofia Coppola's Film Takes Us Somewhere in LA
- Kathryn Bigelow Makes Oscar History! First Woman to Win Best Director!
