© Courtesy of Intel
Christopher Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew and Nicolas Cage’s brother as well as a Professor at San Francisco Art Institute, discusses his new film with me on Zoom, Sammy and Quinn. His two sons; real-life brothers Dexter and Bailey Coppola star in the film.
© Photos by Colette Standish
“It’s pretty much done,” Coppola explained. “The changes are very minor. It’s more of a tempo thing, color correction tweaks, and the final sound mix. It’s currently being considered at a few film festivals. It will be finished very soon.”
“The film will premiere later in the year or early next year.”
He described how the idea for Sammy and Quinn all tied in together and how his students were behind the inspiration of the project.
“There’s two things. One, I hope they understand that this is a contemporary version of Don Quixote by Cervantes. And there’s a lack of appreciation for great literature today. Not that I think it’s anybody’s blame, but it’s not something that’s on everybody’s, you know, interest level. Young people don’t read much. They get everything fed to them very quickly. And to sit down with an eight-hundred-page book is a tall order for some of these young people,” Coppola said.
Here’s my interview clip on YouTube where he talks about the inspiration of Don Quixote for a class project leading up to Sammy and Quinn.
“Each dream was made by a different visual student that I picked based on what I saw in their artwork and a different composer and they collaborated. And they worked out great—I made a few minor tweaks but they’re in the film so they’re actually in a professional film.”
—Christopher Coppola, Director of “Sammy and Quinn”
“Sammy & Quinn is kind of a pilot idea being part classroom, part professional filmmaking with an emphasis on the study of great literature and the making of a short contemporary film based on it. Sammy & Quinn came out of my class project Don Quixote. The first semester was all about Cervantes, Spain at the time and his great novel Don Quixote. I had leading scholars in Spain give lectures to my students online. The class took themes from the novel and reapplied them into a modern context as a short film.”
© Photos by Colette Standish
The project was going to be filmed in Spain at the actual windmill but, at the time, it was not possible due to Covid.
“Because of Covid, I couldn’t do that. The class still had to make a film. I decided to do something centered around mental health, which is in the book– Quixote, the crazy knight who fights a windmill because he sees things that aren’t there, the tragedy, humor yet poetic artistry.”
Coppola is very sensitive, understanding, and compassionate to those who have suffered from mental health afflictions. His mother, Joy Vogelsang had struggled with it most of her life and unfortunately passed away this year on May 26. He dedicated the film to her.
Here’s the video clip of my interview with Christopher Coppola dedicating “Sammy and Quinn” in her honor.
“I just wanted her to have a moment with something dedicated to her, made by her son and grandsons. Something to take with her to peace land.”
—Christopher Coppola, Director of “Sammy and Quinn”
“Yeah, I dedicated it to her because it has become very public that she was afflicted with some very tough mental health issues, but she was also a beautiful, creative woman, and should be celebrated for that as well.” Coppola fondly remembers his mom, “she gave my little brother and me a super 8 camera when we were kids. We made a lot of films together, so she was also supportive our creativity and careers. I just wanted her to have a moment with something dedicated to her, made by her son and grandsons. Something to take with her to peace land.”
© Photos by Colette Standish
Sammy and Quinn was filmed in various locations around San Francisco where Coppola resides.
“If you look at it closely, San Francisco is a beloved character. A beautiful angel guiding our Sammy and Quinn on their emotional journey from North Beach to Lands’ End,” Coppola said, “At the test screening, an audience member thanked me for bringing Don Quixote to their city. They forgot how beautiful their city is.” Coppola added, “I was also happy to give them a breath of fresh air after being locked up for over a year due to Covid. Film can do that.”
Coppola is preparing his next great literature to film class scheduled this Fall 2021 semester at the San Francisco Art Institute. “With Project Tale of Two Cities, I will be working with both San Francisco Art Institute and Mississippi School of the Arts students in the making of an omnibus of short films drawing from Charles Dicken’s masterpiece. The themes are relevant to modern America. So, stay tuned.”
Special thanks to Christopher Coppola for his contributions to this interview.