In the early years of the 20th century Agostino Coppola leaves the town of Bernalda, in the province of Matera, to seek fortune overseas in the USA. We don’t have much info about him, but we know that he gave birth to a large family of artists.
One of his children, Carmine, won the Oscar for the soundtrack of the film The Godfather – Part II, as well as contributing to that of Apocalypse now.
Carmine had three children: August, Francis Ford and Talia. The most famous of the three, Francis, is a very successful director. His most remembered films are: The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse now and Bram Stocker’s Dracula. But with the film Patton he won the most coveted statuette, the Oscar, for the best original screenplay. The director’s bond with his homeland is strong: he became an honorary citizen of Bernalda, and often he spends his holidays here. He completed a revival project for the whole area by creating a training centre for artists in Torremare, near Bernalda. In addition, he bought a building to turn it into an exclusive hotel.
Carmine’s youngest daughter is Talia (in honor of her country of origin) Rose, known as Talia Shire. Her first major role was in The Godfather trilogy, in the role of Connie Corleone, but she played her best-known character in the Rocky films. Do you remember Sylvester Stallone at the top of the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with his arms raised to the sky shouting out loud “Adrianaaaaaaa!!!!!” It’s her!, Adriana Pennino, faithful and devoted wife of the Italian boxer throughout the Rocky saga.
Carmine’s eldest son, August, didn’t follow in his family footsteps, but he is the father of Nicolas Kim, alias Nicolas Cage. He also played his first role in one of his uncle movie, Rumble Fish. Then in his career he had played many other films, also winning an Oscar for Best actor in Leaving Las Vegas.
Sofia Carmina, daughter of the director Francis, had no intention of pursuing the career of her family of artists. Her passions were fashion, photography, music and design and when she realized that the direction enclosed the all, she carved out a path to success that is bringing her satisfaction, including the Oscar for the best original screenplay for Lost in Translation. Her first appearance in a film is as Michael Corleone’s nephew in his baptism scene in The Godfather. The first film for which she signed the direction was The Virgin suicides.
The last raising star of the Coppola family is Gia, grand-daugther of Francis. She took her first steps in New York Stories and in The Godfather. A few days ago she presented her second short film Mainstream, the coolest and most contemporary film of the 77th Venice International Film Festival.
If you want to know the town of origin of this family of artists we recommend you the tour A Flight through the Sassi, Castles and Flavours Read also the articles Aglianico del Vulture, The Flight of the Angel, Matera, the city of the Sassi and Lucanian Delicacy.
