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Woody Allen<\/strong> is in hot water after taking part in an interview for Moscow\u2019s International Film Week. Allen appeared virtually and was interviewed by Russian director Fyodor Bondartchuk<\/strong>\u2014an outspoken supporter of Vladimir Putin.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry condemned the filmmaker\u2019s appearance, calling it \u201ca disgrace and an insult to the sacrifice of Ukrainian actors and filmmakers who have been killed or injured by Russian war criminals.\u201d The statement also accuses Allen of turning \u201ca blind eye to the atrocities Russia\u201d committed in Ukraine, and declares, \u201cCulture must never be used to whitewash crimes or serve as a propaganda tool.\u201d<\/p>\n This content can also be viewed on the site it originates<\/a> from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n During the discussion, the Annie Hall<\/em> director reaffirmed his admiration for Russian cinema, citing Sergei Bondartchuk<\/strong>\u2019s 1969 Oscar-winning adaptation of War and Peace<\/em> as a favorite, according to the Russian outlet RIA Novosti<\/a>.<\/em> Allen also reportedly<\/a> said that while he has no plans to make a movie in Russia, he has \u201conly good feelings for Moscow and St. Petersburg.\u201d<\/p>\n These comments have provoked outrage from Ukraine, which has been campaigning for Russia\u2019s total cultural isolation since Putin began his war against the nation in 2022. Ukrainian authorities have systematically denounced the participation of Western personalities in rare but symbolically significant Russian events.<\/p>\n Allen reacted to the criticism in a statement to the Guardian<\/em><\/a>. While asserting that \u201cPutin is totally in the wrong\u201d and that \u201cthe war he has caused is appalling,\u201d the Oscar winner also defended his participation in the festival: \u201cWhatever politicians have done, I don\u2019t feel cutting off artistic conversations is ever a good way to help.\u201d<\/p>\n This controversy comes years after Allen largely left American filmmaking to focus his career in Europe. Nearly 10 years ago, Allen was rejected by a large swathe of the Hollywood establishment after his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow<\/strong> renewed her accusation<\/a> that Allen sexually assaulted her<\/a> when she was a child. Allen has always maintained his innocence<\/a>, but his recent films, 2020\u2019s Rifkin\u2019s Festival<\/em> and 2023\u2019s Coup de Chance,<\/em> were shot in Spain and France, respectively. Neither movie received a wide theatrical release in the US, though they\u2019re available on streaming platforms.<\/p>\n Original story in<\/em> VF France<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nX content<\/h4>\n