Sofia Coppola and Marc Jacobs Filmed New Documentary Without a ‘Script’

Fans of Marc Jacobs will get to see the designer through the eyes of his close friend Sofia Coppola in their new documentary, Marc by Sofia.

The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 2, follows the 12 weeks leading up to the Marc Jacobs Spring 2024 show with backstage footage and reflections on Jacobs’ career milestones, including his 16-year tenure as creative director of Louis Vuitton, per The Hollywood Reporter. It will also reflect on the luminary’s 30-year friendship with the Oscar-winning filmmaker.

While speaking at a press conference with reporters at the Venice Film Festival alongside Jacobs, 62, Coppola opened up about their approach to the 97-minute film. What it is not: a “marketing piece” that glamorizes the fashion industry. What it is: a “personal portrait” of a friend.

“It was really a sincere, small project,” said the filmmaker, 54. “It was really important for me to show Mark as a creative person in his process and I was happy that he felt comfortable around me.” Coppola added: “I think it’s always important for me to show something genuine, show the person that I love and their real side.”

Coppola also emphasized that the film isn’t just an “inside joke” between the duo. “I wanted to make sure that the audience felt included and that they were brought in and never felt like it was an inside joke that they weren’t a part of it. That was something that was important to me.”

Coppola and Jacobs met in the early ’90s when he was working as the vice president of Perry Ellis, a role he took on in 1988 but was later fired from in 1993 after debuting the brand’s Grunge collection.

“I asked my mom [the late documentary director, Eleanor Coppola] to take me to the studio, and then we were surprised that Marc was there. He came out and said ‘Hi,’ and my mom was very surprised. She said that she remembers that we just started talking and hit it off, and we had these things in common,” reflected Coppola.

That easy-going dynamic is what led to the pair’s organic approach in the creative process — that means, neither a script nor a plan was apart of it.

“That part was exciting and also it was a new process to find it in the editing room. I’m happy that the producers were very supportive and gave me total support of just finding a way. It was really a lovely experience,” she explained.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Jacobs went into filming with the same honesty that’s played a part in his career, much like his candidness around his past drug addiction and plastic surgery. “I’ve chosen to be very honest and open about things that other people feel shame around, and I just find it benefits me not to feel shame. The only way to do that is to be frank and open.”

“I knew this wasn’t gonna be a Barbara Walters feature where I was gonna be stuck and choke on some detail or some controversy or something like that,” he added of working with Coppola.

Marc by Sofia is produced by A24 and will be accompanied by a companion book.