Woody Allen is on the defense amid the backlash that has followed his participation in a Russian film festival, as the the communist country continues its raging war with Ukraine.
The Oscar-winning director of films like “Annie Hall,” “Hannah and Her Sisters,” and “Blue Jasmine” appeared via video at the Moscow International Film Week on Sunday in a session moderated by prominent Russian filmmaker Fyodor Bondarchuk.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry blasted Allen’s appearance on social media Monday, calling it “a disgrace and an insult to the sacrifice of Ukrainian actors and filmmakers who have been killed or injured by Russian war criminals in their ongoing war against Ukraine.”
Following the strong rebuke, Allen issued a statement defending his involvement — while also slamming Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“When it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, I believe strongly that Vladimir Putin is totally in the wrong. The war he has caused is appalling,” he said in a statement to CNN. “But, whatever politicians have done, I don’t feel cutting off artistic conversations is ever a good way to help.”
The 89-year-old auteur was billed as one of Moscow International Film Week’s headline attractions, alongside American actor and martial artist Mark Dacascos and Serbian director Emir Kusturica.
First held in the Russian capital in August 2024, the event has seemingly satiated cinephiles’ appetites after the long-running Moscow International Film Festival was stripped of its accreditation by the International Federation of Film Producers Association following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Allen, who hinted at retirement last year, has used Russian literature and history as inspiration for several of his films, including 1975’s “Love and Death” and 1989’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
But for decades, the Bronx native’s star status in America has diminished due to the allegations of molestation from his adopted stepdaughter Dylan Farrow.
