Francis Ford Coppola gives salty response to winning Worst Director Award

Francis Ford Coppola has lashed out after being awarded a Worst Director gong.

The legendary director, 85, is responsible for some of the most iconic films in Hollywood history - including Apocalypse Now and The Godfather trilogy.

His latest film, titled Megalopolis, has proved to be a stinker - being panned by critics and bombing at the box office.

On Friday, Coppola took to Instagram to hit back after he won the Golden Raspberry Award for the 2024 film, saying, "I am thrilled to accept the Razzie award in so many important categories for @megalopolisfilm, and for the distinctive honour of being nominated as the worst director, worst screenplay, and worst picture at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary moviemaking!"

He continued, "In this wreck of a world today, where ART is given scores as if it were professional wrestling, I chose to NOT follow the gutless rules laid down by an industry so terrified of risk that despite the enormous pool of young talent at its disposal, may not create pictures that will be relevant and alive 50 years from now."

He added, "What an honour to stand alongside a great and courageous filmmaker like Jacques Tati who impoverished himself completely to make one of cinema's most beloved failures, PLAYTIME! My sincere thanks to all my brilliant colleagues who joined me to make our work of art, MEGALOPOLIS, and let us remind ourselves us that box-office is only about money, and like war, stupidity and politics has no true place in our future."

Megalopolis has been steeped in controversy after Coppola offered roles to 'cancelled' stars Jon Voight and Shia LaBeouf - while the director himself faced accusations of "misconduct" from crew working on the film; an accusation he has furiously denied.