Ukraine Trolls Woody Allen Over Russian Film Festival Appearance
When it was announced that Woody Allen was going to be appearing at a Moscow film festival, it was hard to know who to be mad at: Allen for supporting an event held in a country that’s currently waging an illegal war on Ukraine, or Russia for supporting accused child molester Woody Allen.
The Annie Hall director defended his participation in the film festival in a statement that was sent by his assistant to CNN. “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,” the statement reads. “But, whatever politicians have done, I don’t feel cutting off artistic conversations is ever a good way to help.”
The statement, which may be the lamest thing he’s written since 2014’s Magic in the Moonlight, came shortly after the Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed the filmmaker for agreeing to the appearance in a social media post.
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“Woody Allen’s participation in the Moscow international film week is 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,” the ministry argued, concluding that “culture must never be used to whitewash crimes or serve as a propaganda tool. We strongly condemn Woody Allen’s decision to bless Moscow’s bloody festival with his address.”
But that wasn’t the only time the Ukrainian government posted about Allen. The country’s “official X account” also posted a photoshopped poster of his movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona, with his face in place of Scarlett Johansson’s. Behind him is Vladimir Putin, hence the new title: Vladimir Woody Moscow.
Putting aside the nightmare fuel poster, a number of commenters took issue with the post’s claim that Allen’s Moscow appearance would make a “mockery of his own artistic legacy,” when that arguably happened a long time ago. “Can’t cancel someone who’s already cancelled,” one person wrote. “He married his daughter,” another bluntly stated. “This is the most awful thing I’ve ever heard about Woody Allen,” someone joked.
Despite the controversy, Allen did indeed appear at the event, albeit virtually. So, sadly, there was zero possibility that Russia would decide to keep him at the end of the festival. Allen praised old movies like the eight-hour Soviet adaptation of War and Peace, and explained his directorial process…
…all on a screen that was definitely way too big for a Zoom session with an 89-year-old creep.
