For a Birmingham-based costumer and seamstress, a chance to see Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film “Megalopolis” served as a chance to see her hard work on the big screen.

April Bonasera, a Birmingham resident and University of Alabama graduate, spent six months constructing costumes for the major film “Megalopolis,” which is a sci-fi drama written and directed by Coppola that stars Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza and more.

Bonasera, who has more than 20 years in the industry and has worked on other projects like the TV series “Kindred” and “Legacies” as well as at The Atlanta Opera, said it was a dream opportunity to work on “Megalopolis” with world-renowned costume designer Milena Canonero, who during her decades-long career has won four Academy Awards for her work on “Barry Lyndon,” “Chariots of Fire,” “Marie Antoinette” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” as well as many more nominations.

“I got involved just through word of mouth,” said Bonasera. “I worked on a film before called ‘Pain Hustlers’ on Netflix…and was recommended from there. When [the costume supervisor] told me that Milena Canonero was the designer and who was going to be in the film and everything, I was like, ‘Oh my God. Are you kidding me? Of course I want to work on this.’”

While Canonero designed and brought many of her own team to create the costumes for “Megalopolis,” Bonasera said there were several specific pieces from the Francis Ford Coppola film she was assigned to, including white chiffon dresses seen on actress Grace VanderWaal as well as a black velvet jacket worn by actress Aubrey Plaza’s character, which can be seen in the film’s trailer, that Bonasera said was her personal favorite.

“The hooded one, I just love that design,” said Bonasera. “It’s the black with the laser cut velvet and oh my gosh, I just love it. It was just all-around cool. The jacket hood is everything.”

Overall though, Bonasera, who moved back to Birmingham in September 2023 during the film strike and launched her own full-service costume studio called Dye Dress Magic, said that the experience of working on “Megalopolis” helped her recognize how far she’d come in her career during a very uncertain time in the movie industry.

“I wish that my father was alive to see it because I’ve worked really hard to get to that place,” said Bonasera. “It just means a lot. It’s not an easy gig, and so it made me very proud of where I came from to get to this point and to get that job.”

When not working on costumes or commissions for other projects, Bonasera makes her own textile art using vintage linens that she dyes with Alabama plants to sell at art vendors, including The Market at Pepper Place, throughout the year.

You can keep up with Bonasera’s upcoming projects and events through Dye Dress Magic’s website, and you can see “Megalopolis” in theaters everywhere now.