Coppola, speaking at a press conference in Antalya on Wednesday ahead of the Turkey premiere of his latest film, "Youth Without Youth," which was screened out of competition at the third Eurasia International Film Festival, said the film offered "clues on existence, perception and the meaning of life in general." "Youth Without Youth," which marks Coppola's return to filmmaking after a 10-year hiatus, follows the tale of Dominic Matei, a Romanian professor of linguistics whose life is drastically changed by a dreadful incident prior to World War II. When the aged professor is struck by a thunderbolt, he gains immunity against the effects of time and returns to the physical age of 30 while still retaining the wisdom he earned throughout his life. But when his gift attracts the attention of Nazi scientists, he is forced to flee the country as a fugitive.
Coppola, who was one of the guests of honor of the Antalya Film Festival and who received the festival's award of recognition at a ceremony prior to the gala screening, said he believed "Youth Without Youth" was a film that would continue to be watched in the years to come.
Also commenting that he began to feel the enthusiasm of a young filmmaker as he aged, Coppola said: "I wanted to shoot a personal and beautiful movie which is not aimed at earning money. ... Too many movies are made, but when you look at them, you realize that almost all of them are more or less the same. … When you don't shoot something new, you are wasting [the film's] budget. People are going to the movies not solely for entertainment, but also to question themselves." For this reason, Coppola added, this was a time to be selective in deciding which movies to shoot. Coppola, during his acceptance speech, told the crowd at the award ceremony that he was "here thanks to your love and your enthusiasm. I am delighted to be here and to receive [this] award." Coppola left Antalya Thursday morning.