Sofia Coppola Calls for ‘More Women in Positions of Power’ to Support Female Filmmakers

Sofia Coppola took a moment to reflect on her career and share her hopes for the future of women filmmakers as she was honored at New York’s Museum of Modern Art last night. The MoMA 2025 Film Benefit, presented by Chanel, celebrated the Oscar-winning director, writer, and producer as a handful of her collaborators—from Elle Fanning to Bill Murray—sang her praises.

Coppola, wearing a black sequin dress from Mattieu Blazy’s debut collection for Chanel, thanked her colleagues, family, and supporters as she took the stage. Looking back at the beginning of her directing journey, she joked, “I was the amateur actress who singlehandedly ruined the Godfather films,” referencing her cameo in her father Francis Ford Coppola’s famed saga.

But on a more serious note, the Marie Anoinette and Lost in Translation director looked back on how things have changed for women directors since then.

“When I started, it was such a different time,” she explained. “I remember an executive telling me that you couldn’t have a story with a female main character; that girls would go to stories about boys, but boys wouldn’t go see a story about a girl. It’s so gratifying to see stories about girls and women and to see so many young women filmmakers today.

“I also remember times when a female executive liked a project, only to take it to the boss, who couldn’t relate to it. So I hope we can now recognize how much we need more women in positions of power to finance and support these filmmakers.”

Clips from her films, like The Virgin Suicides and Priscilla, played on a screen for guests as they dined on the museum’s second floor. Coppola was also treated to pre-recorded messages from her frequent collaborator, Kirsten Dunst, and her father. “I’m so grateful to be part of her vision. It’s something that I hold very sacred to me,” Dunst said in her video.

Friends who attended in person shared heartfelt tributes, like Fanning, who starred in two of Coppola’s projects, 2017’s The Beguiled and 2010’s Somewhere. She, too, wore a look from Chanel’s spring/summer 2026 collection.

“Time and again, Sofia has captured the nuance of femininity, bottling the magic of girlhood and letting it seep into the corners of the women who captivate us on screen. … But strip away the outward contributions, Sophia’s indelible impact on my life is due to the quality of her character,” Fanning said. “She moves with such grace and empathy, and from my 11-year-old self and the woman who stands with you today, I honor you for these characteristics most of all.”

Murray, who starred in Coppola-directed movies Lost in Translation and On the Rocks, shared that she is more than her name. “She’s not just the daughter of a great filmmaker. She’s a great filmmaker,” he said.

And Josh Hartnett, who appeared in The Virgin Suicides as a teen, shared what he learned from the director: “Sofia showed me at a young age what it is to be an artist. You must be bold, you must take chances, you must follow your instincts, and always believe that you will get Bill Murray into that kimono.”

Other speakers included her brother Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and David Letterman, who introduced the surprise musical guest, Elvis Costello. Also in attendance were Coppola’s daughters, Cosima and Romy Mars, and husband, Phoenix’s Thomas Mars. Rose Byrne, Lupita Nyong’o, Fala Chen, Tyler Mitchell, Tamara Mellon, David and Susan Rockefeller, Lauren Santo Domingo, Anna Sui, Anna Weyant, Olivia Wilde, and many more joined in on the celebrations too.

Take a closer look inside the event below.