Claim: Francis Ford Coppola is a screenwriter.

The Cotton Club is a 1984 American crime-drama film centered on a Harlem jazz club of the 1930s , the Cotton Club .   The film was co-written -LRB- with William Kennedy -RRB- and directed by Francis Ford Coppola , choreographed by Henry LeTang , and starred Richard Gere , Gregory Hines , Diane Lane , and Lonette McKee . The supporting cast included Bob Hoskins , James Remar , Nicolas Cage , Allen Garfield , Laurence Fishburne , Gwen Verdon and Fred Gwynne .   Despite performing poorly at the box office , the film was nominated for several awards , including Golden Globes for Best Director and Best Picture -LRB- Drama -RRB- and Oscars for Best Art Direction -LRB- Richard Sylbert , George Gaines -RRB- and Film Editing . The film , however , also earned a Razzie Award nomination for Diane Lane as Worst Supporting Actress .