Sofia Coppola Triumphs In Venice

Quentin Tarantino, the Oscar nominated writer and director, was part of the judging panel for the Golden Lion and the 47-year-old defended the decision, despite claims of favouritism because of the established reputation of the Coppola family, BBC News reports. The director of 'Pulp Fiction' told reporters, "I wasn't going to let anything like that affect me at all. I was just going to literally respond to the film. There was no me steering any direction."

In 2003, Copolla became only the third woman to be nominated for an ACADEMY AWARD for directing when her film 'Lost in Translation', starring Bill Murray, got the nod. Her other films include 1999's 'The Virgin Suicide', and the 2006 film 'Marie Antoinette', however, she also directed THE White Stripes' music video for the song 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself', which featured Kate Moss.