Rome, Aug. 26 (LaPresse) – Woody Allen has denied accusations from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry that his participation in the Moscow International Film Week served to "whitewash" Russian war crimes in Ukraine. In an interview with The Guardian, Allen condemned the Russian invasion as “horrifying” and stated that “Putin is completely wrong.” However, he added that halting artistic dialogue is not the right way to help the situation.
Allen appeared via video at the event, hosted by Russian director Fyodor Bondarchuk, a known ally of Putin. His presence sparked strong criticism from Kyiv, which called it "a disgrace" and "an insult" to the victims of the war. “Culture must never be used to cover up war crimes,” the ministry wrote in a statement.
During the event, Allen praised Russian cinema, particularly War and Peace by Sergei Bondarchuk, Fyodor’s father, which won the 1969 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. He clarified he does not plan to shoot a film in Russia, though he expressed affection for Moscow and St. Petersburg.
His latest films, Rifkin’s Festival (2020) and Coup de Chance (2023), were financed by European funds after his production deal with Amazon ended in 2019 amid renewed attention to past abuse allegations made by Dylan Farrow, which Allen denies and from which he was legally cleared.