Sofia Coppola Completes Mother Eleanor’s ‘Marie Antoinette’ Documentary
WHO:
Variety - Sofia Coppola directed *Marie Antoinette* and was in her mid-30s during its production.
Variety - Sofia Coppola’s mother, Eleanor Coppola, documented the making of *Marie Antoinette*.
ABC News Entertainment - Eleanor Coppola died before completing *Making Marie Antoinette*; Sofia Coppola completed the documentary.
WHAT:
Variety - The documentary *Making Marie Antoinette* is about the production of *Marie Antoinette*.
Variety - Sofia Coppola described herself as “exhilarated and occasionally overwhelmed” while making the historical drama.
Variety - The article says the documentary was to be released in theaters on Oct. 23; that date is omitted because it is not after the current date.
ABC News Entertainment - Eleanor Coppola shot 80 hours of behind-the-scenes footage during the making of *Marie Antoinette*.
WHERE:
Variety - *Marie Antoinette* was filmed at Versailles.
WHEN:
ABC News Entertainment - The behind-the-scenes footage was shot during production of *Marie Antoinette* in 2005.
WHY:
ABC News Entertainment - Sofia Coppola saw the documentary through after Eleanor Coppola died before she could finish it.
HOW:
Variety - Eleanor Coppola documented the film’s making while it was being produced.
ABC News Entertainment - The documentary was made from behind-the-scenes footage Eleanor Coppola had filmed.
(UPDATED October 23, 2026 19:11 UTC)
A new documentary, *Making Marie Antoinette*, offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sofia Coppola’s historical drama, filmed at Versailles. Coppola’s mother, Eleanor, documented the production, capturing 80 hours of footage as the movie was being made in 2005. At the time, Sofia Coppola was in her mid-30s and said she felt “exhilarated and occasionally overwhelmed” by the experience. Eleanor Coppola died before she could complete the documentary. Sofia then saw the project through, shaping her mother’s footage into a film about the making of *Marie Antoinette*. The documentary draws on the material Eleanor recorded during production, preserving a glimpse of the work behind the historical drama and the family connection at its center.