Episode 06: James Mockoski

We wanted to know what it’s like working for just one filmmaker, albeit an incredibly diverse and prolific one as Francis Ford Coppola. What we learned after talking to James Mockoski is that it’s always kept interesting because the filmmaker is continually interested in the past as much as the present and the future. Keeping classics like Apocalypse Now and The Godfather alive in new mediums for multiple generations is a busy job, and James (just like his boss) knows how to surround himself with the right artists and technicians. It’s a fast paced and honest discussion.

James is the film archivist and restoration supervisor for American Zoetrope in San Francisco, California. He received his B.A. in Film/Video from UCSC and graduated with a M.A. in Film Archiving from the University of East Anglia. In 2002, he joined Francis Ford Coppola's company, American Zoetrope as their Film Archivist and he has supervised the restorations of some classic films such as Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, Tucker and The Cotton Club. He also oversees the Coppola Family Archive of Costumes and memorabilia, including the Museum Collection held at Inglenook Winery and Francis Coppola Winery in Geyserville.