CANNES, France (AP) — Of the many quotations and slogans that flitter through Francis Ford Coppola’s idea-stuffed, open-hearted, unabashedly optimistic “Megalopolis,” one that particularly resonates with the director is: “When we leap into the unknown, we prove that we’re free.”

“That’s me making this film,” Coppola says, speaking on a hotel terrace in Cannes the day after “Megalopolis” premiered at the French festival. “To all of the studio big shots, I proved that I’m free and they’re not. Because they don’t dare leap into the unknown. And I do. That’s the only way to prove that you’re free.”

Coppola pauses and then adds, with a grin. “I don’t recommend it.”