Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” has been tapped as the Centerpiece selection for the 61st New York Film Festival. The biographical drama about the wife of Elvis Presley will make its North American premiere at Alice Tully Hall on Oct. 6.
“Priscilla” centers on the life of Priscilla Ann Wagner (“Mare of Easttown” actor Cailee Spaeny) and her life and love affair with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll (“Euphoria” breakout Jacob Elordi). It’s based on the 1985 memoir“Elvis and Me”byPriscilla Presleyand Sandra Harmon and follows her early years as a teenage army brat stationed in West Germany to her arrival at Graceland, which became her home and prison.
“I am honored to be back at the New York Film Festival with my new film and to be telling Priscilla Presley’s story, the unseen side of a great American myth,” Coppola said in a statement.
Coppola’s previous movie “On the Rocks,” a comedic drama starring Rashida Jones and Bill Murray, premiered at the New York Film Festival in 2020. The director, who made her acting debut her father Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 epic crime drama “The Godfather,” transitioned into directing with 1999’s coming-of-age story “The Virgin Suicides,” which premiered at Cannes Film Festival.
She won a screenwriting Oscar and earned nominations for director and best picture for her second feature film, 2003’s romantic comedy “Lost in Translation.” Coppola later became only the second woman to win the best director prize at Cannes Film Festival, for her literary adaptation of “The Beguiled.” Her other credits include “Marie Antoinette,” “Somewhere” and “The Bling Ring.”
“Priscilla is a culminating triumph for Sofia Coppola, a filmmaker with a singular gift for illuminating the interior lives of her characters,” said Dennis Lim, artistic director of New York Film Festival. “It’s a showcase for a pair of star-making performances and a work of tremendous empathy and emotional nuance. We are looking forward to welcoming Sofia back to the festival with one of her very best films.”
Coppola, Youree Henley, and Lorenzo Mieli of The Apartment/Fremantle and American Zoetrope produced “Priscilla,” which will be distributed by A24.
New York Film Festival, presented by Film at Lincoln Center, takes place from Sept. 29 through Oct. 15. As previously announced, director Todd Haynes’ soapy romantic drama “May December,” starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, will be its opening night screening.
