Francis Ford Coppola Slams Studio System After He Self-Financed ‘Megalopolis’: Execs ‘Don’t Make Good Movies … They Pay Their Debt Obligations’

variety.com:

Francis Ford Coppola shared his thoughts on the current studio system during the Cannes Film Festival press conference for his self-financed epic “Megalopolis,” saying that they might not be around much longer. “I fear that the film industry has become more of a matter of people being hired to meet their debt obligations because the studios are in great, great debt.

And the job is not so much to make good movies, the job is to make sure they pay their debt obligations,” Coppola said in response to a question from Variety. “Obviously, new companies like Amazon and Apple and Microsoft, they have plenty of money, so it might be that the studios we knew for so long, some wonderful ones, are not to be here in the future anymore.” The presser also veered into the political, with Coppola being asked if the film is a commentary on Donald Trump, prompting him to share his thoughts on the current state of U.S.

politics. “Men like Donald Trump are not at the moment in charge, but there is a trend happening in the world toward the more neo-right, even fascist tradition, which is frightening because anyone who was alive during World War II saw the horrors that took place and we don’t want a repeat of that,” Coppola said. “So again, I think it’s the role of the artist, the films, to shine light on what’s happening in the world.” “Jon, you have different political opinions,” Coppola then said in a moment that drew laughs from journalists.

Voight responded, “How did you find that out?” Coppola continued, “If I may say, one of the things about our wonderful cast is that they reflect all sorts of political ideas.