Mubi has acquired worldwide rights for “Making Marie Antoinette,” a behind-the-scenes look at Sofia Coppola’s Oscar-winning film “Marie Antoinette.”
The documentary, which marks the 20th anniversary of “Marie Antoinette,” is built from roughly 80 hours of previously unseen footage shot by Eleanor Coppola on the set of her daughter’s third feature, which starred Kirsten Dunst as the doomed French queen and Jason Schwartzman as Louis XVI.
Shot in 2005 at the Palace of Versailles — where Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” became the first film production ever granted permission to shoot — the footage captures the craftsmanship behind one of the filmmaker’s most distinctive works, from Milena Canonero’s lavish costume design to the experience of a young female director mounting a daring period film on a grand scale.
The project was assembled to fulfill Eleanor Coppola’s wish that the material be turned into a feature-length documentary. “Making Marie Antoinette” was edited by Aaron Matthews, with input from Eleanor Coppola’s close friends Davia Nelson and Liz Bird. In the film, Eleanor Coppola is voiced by Diane Lane, who reads passages from the late filmmaker’s journals reflecting on her time on set and her relationship with her daughter. The result is both a portrait of the making of a landmark film and an intimate mother-daughter story.
“Sofia is one of the defining filmmakers of her generation, with a voice and sensibility entirely her own,” said Efe Cakarel, MUBI’s Founder and CEO. “Marie Antoinette was bold, beautiful, irreverent and hugely influential, and to revisit it now through Eleanor Coppola’s eyes, as both a filmmaker and a mother, is incredibly moving.”
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Sofia Coppola said she and her mother began going through the footage during lockdown. “It was always her wish to make what she shot into a feature length documentary,” Coppola said. “She was on set as a filmmaker and also my mother, so I found it so moving to go back through the material and to see our shoot through her eyes.”
“Making Marie Antoinette” is produced by Lorenzo Mieli, Mario Gianani, Rachel Dengiz, Youree Henley and Sofia Coppola. The film was financed by Our Films, a Mediawan company, Mediawan Rights and Entourage Pictures.
Our Films’ Mieli said Eleanor Coppola’s legacy as a documentarian gave the project its emotional and cinematic force. “Eleanor Coppola is a masterful documentarian, as evidenced by ‘Hearts of Darkness,’” he said. “I feel honored to have been able to help bring this documentary to life, and the mother daughter relationship gives particular depth to the film. Like Our Films, Mubi is all about filmmakers, so this feels like a very good place for a very special film.”
Mubi will announce release plans for the documentary in the near future.
Sofia Coppola is represented by Bart Walker at Gersh.