Did you have this feud on your bingo card?
There was already controversy when Woody Allen agreed to take part in Moscow International Film Week, with U.S. press asking why he would dare participate at an event in Putin’s backyard, but his comments during the event have only added fuel to the fire.
Appearing during a “Legends of World Cinema” discussion, moderated by Russian filmmaker Fyodor Bondarchuk, the 89-year-old director praised Russian cinema, “wonderful” Moscow and declared himself “an apolitical director.” Allen cited Sergei Bondarchuk’s Oscar-winning “War and Peace” as a personal favorite and even went so far as to say he would love to make a film about “how good life is in Moscow and St. Petersburg.”
Those words did not sit well in Ukraine.
The country’s Foreign Ministry called Allen’s remarks “a disgrace” and “an insult” to Ukrainian actors and filmmakers who have lost their lives or careers because of Russia’s invasion. Officials added that by agreeing to participate in a festival known to host figures close to Putin, Allen was choosing to “turn a blind eye” to “ongoing atrocities.”
This isn’t Allen’s first brush with controversy in Russia. The director recalled past trips to Moscow and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) during the Soviet era, joking that the experience wasn’t pleasant at the time but “everything changed” after the USSR fell. Now, he says, he would consider a Russian co-production if the opportunity presented itself.
The appearance underscores Allen’s increasingly fraught position in the West, where he has struggled to find financing and distribution in recent years. Ignored at home, the four-time Oscar winner seems more willing than ever to accept invitations abroad—even ones that carry heavy political baggage.
Personally, and at this point, I don’t think Allen has much to lose. A pariah in the States, he’s taking opportunities to engage with audiences and celebrate cinema wherever he’s invited. He very well knew what he was doing when he made these comments, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’d indeed make a film in Russia if he found the funding. His last project, which was supposed to be set in Barcelona, and shot this summer, fell apart due to money.