In April 1979, Coppola screened a "work in progress" for 900 people that was not well received. That same year, he was invited to screen "Apocalypse Now" at the Cannes Film Festival. United Artists was not keen on showing an unfinished version in front of so many members of the press. Since his 1974 film "The Conversation" won the Palme d'Or, Coppola agreed to screen "Apocalypse Now" with only a month before the festival.