WOODY Allen has been slammed as “disgraceful and insulting” by Ukraine for attending the Moscow film festival.
The American director, 89, drew scorn from the top of government – but he rejected the accusations and refused to apologise.
Allen appeared at the Moscow International Film Week via video link on Sunday and spoke to the audience.
He reportedly fawned over Russian cinema and said that he wants to make a movie in Vlad’s country.
The multiple Oscar winner told the festival: “I have been to Moscow and St Petersburg. I’ve always liked Russian cinema.
“I had the pleasure of meeting Sergei Bondarchuk a few years ago in New York.
“I watched the Russian film War and Peace which is almost seven hours long. I watched it in one day.”
Allen’s appearance came during a talk hosted by Fyodor Bondarchuk – son of Sergei Bondarchuk who directed War and Peace.
Fyodor has openly supported Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry expressed outrage, stating: “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 suffered due to Russian aggression in their ongoing conflict against Ukraine.”
“By attending a festival that gathers Putin’s allies and endorses their views, Allen chooses to ignore the daily atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine for over 11 years now.”
“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.”
Accompanying the furious dressing down was a photo of destruction in Ukraine seen through Woody Allen’s famous glasses.
The view is blurred to suggest the director is blind to to the devastation.
Allen insisted he is not a Putin supporter, but said that conversations around are must continue no matter what “politicians have done”.
He said: “When it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, I believe strongly that Vladimir Putin is totally in the wrong.
“The devastation caused by the war is horrendous. However, regardless of political actions, I believe that severing artistic dialogues is never an effective means to contribute to a solution.”
Allen was promoted as one of the film festival’s headliners – along with Serbian film director Emir Kusturica and American actor Mark Dacascos.
It is new on the scene after the first instalment was held just last year in the Russian capital.
This event is distinct from the long-standing Moscow International Film Festival, which lost its recognition in 2022 by the International Federation of Film Producers following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Allen’s reputation has nosedived in recent years amid allegations of sexual abuse from his adopted stepdaughter Dylan Farrow.
