Claim: The Coen brothers were the directors of Fargo.

Fargo is a 1996 American black comedy crime thriller film written , produced , edited , and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen . Frances McDormand stars as a pregnant Minnesota police chief investigating roadside homicides that ensue after a desperate car salesman -LRB- William H. Macy -RRB- hires two criminals -LRB- Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare -RRB- to kidnap his wife in order to extort a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law -LRB- Harve Presnell -RRB- .   Fargo premiered at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival , where Joel Coen won the festival 's Prix de la mise en scène -LRB- Best Director Award -RRB- and the film was nominated for the Palme d'Or . A critical and commercial success , Fargo received seven Academy Award nominations , including Best Picture . McDormand received the Best Actress Oscar , and the Coens won in the Best Original Screenplay category .   The film was selected in 2006 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' -- one of only six films so designated in its first year of eligibility . The American Film Institute named it one of the 100 greatest American movies of all time in 1998 . A Coen-produced FX television series of the same name , inspired by Fargo and taking place in the same universe , started in 2014 and was critically acclaimed .