Ukraine Protests Woody Allen’s Participation in Moscow Film Festival
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on social media platform X on Monday strongly condemning American filmmaker Woody Allen for participating in the Moscow International Film Week via live video link.
The statement read: “Woody Allen’s presence at the Moscow International Film Week is a disgrace and an insult to the sacrifice of Ukrainian actors and filmmakers who have been killed or wounded in the war by Russian war criminals.”
According to MosKino, the festival organizer, Allen appeared on Sunday in a Q&A session hosted by Russian filmmaker Fyodor Bondarchuk. The report noted that the 89-year-old director, who has faced allegations of sexual abuse, spoke about “cinema, life, and the role of intuition in creating his works of art.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry emphasized that the collaboration of the Annie Hall and Manhattan director with the “bloody Moscow festival” meant he was “turning a blind eye to the crimes Russia has committed daily in Ukraine for 11 years.” The statement added: “Culture should never be used to whitewash crimes or serve as a propaganda tool.”
The Moscow International Film Week is scheduled to run until August 27.
