Coppola scion and filmmaking talent opens up about her treasured camera and the links it traces to her past
“If I were to save one possession in a fire, it would have to be my dad’s camera, an old, broken Nikon. I always keep it with me – his personal things mean a lot. He took pictures when he was younger and I guess I picked up the camera because of him. When I applied to Bard to do photography, Stephen Shore was a teacher there. He really inspired me to indulge in life in other ways; read, watch movies, be a part of the world and let that inspire your art. I have a favourite picture of his – of his wife peacefully sleeping in a motel room curled up under a pink blanket with a blue headboard and a dirty ashtray next to her on a bedside table. I’m so drawn to photography, because you can convey a complex story in a single frame. I feel like I can communicate much better using images than words.”
"Stephen Shore inspired me to indulge in life in other ways; read, watch movies, be a part of the world and let that inspire your art"
A member of the sprawling Coppola clan (Francis is her grandfather, Sofia her aunt), 28-year-old Gia Coppola made her directorial debut this year with Palo Alto, a stylish and authentic slice of teenage life adapted from James Franco’s collection of stories. The film traces a group of hormonal teenagers in flux, as they float between school and parties in their comfortable California locale. It was Franco who suggested Coppola adapt his book, and he steps in as a sleazy soccer coach, while Emma Roberts (niece of Julia) and Jack Kilmer (son of Val) impress in their roles as bored teens. Coppola’s mother also cameos, as does her former teenage bedroom, with its Virgin Suicides poster still tacked to the wall.
This article features in the A/W14 issue of AnOther Magazine alongside AnOther Thing I Wanted to Tell You... with Buzz Aldrin, Patricia Clarkson and more.
Words by Hannah Lack
