Francis Ford Coppola writes films.
Francis Ford Coppola . After directing The Rain People ( 1969 ) , he co-wrote the 1970 film Patton , earning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay along with co-writer Edmund H. North . The Conversation , which he directed , produced and wrote , was released that same year , winning the Palme d'Or at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival . The Conversation is a 1974 American mystery thriller film written , produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman with supporting roles by John Cazale , Allen Garfield , Cindy Williams , Frederic Forrest , Harrison Ford , Teri Garr and Robert Duvall .