Ukraine slams Woody Allen for attending Moscow film festival

The Ukrainian government criticized American filmmaker Woody Allen for making an appearance at the Moscow International Film Week festival and revealing that he would be open to making a movie in Russia.

The four-time Oscar winner spoke at an online session for the festival on Sunday, praising Russian cinema and talking alongside several Russian directors and actors who have publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine.

“By taking part in a festival that brings together [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s supporters and voices, Allen chooses to turn a blind eye to the atrocities Russia commits in Ukraine every single day for 11 years now,” Kyiv’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Culture should never be used to whitewash crimes or serve as a tool of propaganda,” the ministry added.

“This 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 statement came with a composite photo of the destruction in a Ukrainian city juxtaposed with a pair of Allen’s iconic glasses, which were blurred to obstruct the devastation as a symbol of the director’s actions.

Allen, 89, attended the festival on Sunday where he touted Soviet-era Russian cinema, including Sergei Bondarchuk’s 1965 adaptation of “War and Peace,” which won an Oscar for best foreign-language film, according to Russian state media.

Bondarchuk’s son, Fyodor Bondarchuk, hosted the talk with Allen. Fyodor is among the top Russian directors who have openly supported Putin’s move to invade Ukraine.

Along with discussing Russian cinema and criticizing the use of artificial intelligence in movies, Allen said he was also open to making a movie based on life in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Allen has yet to comment on his participation in the Russian film festival.