Sofia Coppola Feted by American Academy in Rome During Gala Attended by Eternal City Glitterati: ‘Our World Needs’ Her ‘Feminine Art’

The Eternal City’s glitterati celebrated Sofia Coppola on Wednesday at an American Academy in Rome gala in the 17th century Villa Aurelia on Janiculum Hill.

The Oscar-winning director of “Lost in Translation,” “Marie Antoinette,” “Bling Ring” and, most recently, “Priscilla” was honored with a McKim Medal that “marks the profound relationship between Italy and the United States and recognizes the works of individuals who have contributed to the intense artistic and humanistic dialogue between the two nations,” as a statement put it.

Coppola’s ties to Rome comprise directing a 2016 production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata at the Italian capital’s Teatro dell’Opera featuring costumes by Valentino and the fact that “Priscilla” — which got a seven-minute standing ovation at its 2023 Venice Film Festival premiere — is produced by Rome-based producer Lorenzo Mieli.

Mieli was in attendance along with a mix of prominent film, fashion, arts, academia and business personalities who mingled in the splendid gardens sipping bubbly before moving into a covered dinner area. Those on hand included Oscar-winning helmer Paolo Sorrentino; Fendi creative director Maria Silvia Venturini Fendi; designer Margherita Maccapani Missoni; Roberta Armani, Beatrice Bulgari and Nicola Bulgari; Cinecittà chief Nicola Maccanico; producer Pietro Valsecchi; Italian stars Margherita Buy, Alessandro Preziosi and Miriam Leone; as well as directors Paolo Virzì and Ginevra Elkann. Also spotted: Björk, Chiara Mastroianni and Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall, the protagonists of Matteo Garrone’s “Io Capitano.”

New York-based artist Rachel Feinstein, known for works exploring fantasy realms and the female experience with a touch of a darkness, presented the medal to Coppola.

“Sofia shows us the surface, yet we feel what lies underneath: female isolation, loneliness and the slow painful acquisition of wisdom,” Feinstein said, noting that “Priscilla” opens with dainty feet pushing into a pink plush carpet, and we immediately know that this is a woman’s story.”

“We live in extreme times. One might think that the themes of ennui, folly and beauty [in her films] would feel irrelevant and trivial. But Sofia’s films are about the battle between prettiness and beauty; boredom and meditation; surface and depth. Our world needs Sofia Coppola’s feminine art. We crave it,” Feinstein added.

In her speech, Coppola said, “The Academy in Rome is built on this idea of a community or artists in many mediums having a place to work and come together. It’s a place that Rachel and I have talked about and I was hoping to visit and be part of someday.”

She added: “It’s always inspiring to be in Rome: the city of so much incredible art and beauty and the home of Cinecittà.”

Previous recipients of the American Academy in Rome awards include Sorrentino, Luca Guadagnino, Roberto Benigni, Franco Zeffirelli, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ennio Morricone, architect Renzo Piano, American artist Cy Twombly, Italian artist Luigi Ontani and Miuccia Prada.

The honor — dedicated to U.S. architect Charles Follen McKim, who was one of the founders of the American Academy in Rome — was designed by Twombly and handcrafted by Bulgari.