Sofia Coppola the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. In 2013, she directed the satirical crime film "The Bling Ring", based on the crime ring of the same name. At the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, Coppola became the second woman (and the first American woman) in the festival's history to win the Best Director award, for the drama film "The Beguiled". Sofia Coppola was born in New York City, the youngest child and only daughter of set decorator/artist Eleanor Coppola (née Neil) and director Francis Ford Coppola. Her father is of Italian descent. She was raised on her parents' farm in
Francis Ford Coppola influenced to become a writer early on by his brother, August, in whose footsteps he would also follow by attending both of his brother's alma maters: Hofstra and UCLA. Coppola also gives credit to the work of Elia Kazan and for its influence on him as a director. Amongst Coppola's classmates at Hofstra were James Caan, Lainie Kazan and radio artist Joe Frank. He later cast Lainie Kazan in "One from the Heart" and Caan in "The Rain People" and "The Godfather". While pursuing his bachelor's degree, Coppola was elected president of the university's drama group, The Green Wig, and