Entertainment
Woody Allen counters condemnation by Ukraine after speaking at Russian film festival
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned Woody Allen for speaking virtually at a Russian film festival over the weekend, calling his participation in the event “a disgrace and an insult” to the victims of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to Russian media, Allen spoke Sunday at the Moscow International Film Week via video conference. The appearance put him at odds with the Hollywood establishment, which has embraced Ukraine’s cause during Russia’s 3 1/2-year war, with prominent actors signing on to the United24 crowdfunding initiative and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy making virtual appearances at past Golden Globes and Grammys ceremonies.
Footage aired by Russian state TV showed the filmmaker addressing a tightly packed movie theater from a massive screen, with pro-Kremlin film director Fyodor Bondarchuk moderating the session. Russian media stories quoted Allen as saying he’s always liked Russian cinema, recounting his past trips to Russia and the Soviet Union, and talking about what he would do if he were to receive a proposal to direct a movie in the country.
Kike Rincon / Europa Press via Getty Images
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry in an online statement on Monday said it “strongly condemns” Allen’s participation in the festival, which “brings together supporters and mouthpieces of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.”
The ministry called it “a disgrace and an insult to the victims among Ukrainian actors and filmmakers who have been killed or wounded by Russian war criminals,” adding that Allen “is deliberately turning a blind eye to the atrocities that Russia has been committing in Ukraine.”
In a statement to The Associated Press on Monday, Allen criticized Putin and denounced the invasion but called for cultural exchanges to continue.
“When it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, I believe strongly that Vladimir Putin is totally in the wrong. The war he has caused is appalling,” Allen said. “But, whatever politicians have done, I don’t feel cutting off artistic conversations is ever a good way to help.”
The website of the festival, which runs through Wednesday, billed Allen as one of its headliners, along with Serbian film director Emir Kusturica and American actor Mark Dacascos.
Moscow International Film Week is a relatively new festival, first held in the Russian capital in August 2024. It is separate from the decades-old Moscow International Film Festival, which in 2022 was stripped of its International Federation of Film Producers Associations accreditation following the invasion of Ukraine.
Kusturica has been open about his support of Putin, including after the invasion. He received an award from Putin and attended a military parade in Moscow earlier this year.
Allen has long had an affinity for Russian literature and history. His 1975 comedy “Love and Death” spoofs the fiction of Tolstoy and other 19th century Russian novelists. The title of his 1989 release “Crimes and Misdemeanors” echoes Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” and also broods over the themes of wrongdoing, justice and guilt.
In the 1972 essay, “A Brief Guide to Civil Disobedience,” Allen jokes about the Russian Revolution, writing that the serfs rebelled when they “finally realized that the Czar and the Tsar were the same person.”
Alphabet-owned YouTube and Fox said on Thursday they have reached an agreement that will keep Fox News, Fox Sports and other Fox channels available to YouTube TV subscribers.
The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement.
Earlier this week YouTube had been in negotiations with Fox, with the media company asking for payments above those received by partners providing comparable content.
On Wednesday, YouTube said it reached a short-term agreement with Fox that would buy time for the parties to reach a new distribution deal.
In February, YouTube TV reached a deal with media giant Paramount Global to keep channels like CBS, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon available, after failed negotiations for a new contract had briefly left the future of the streaming partnership in limbo.
The carriage dispute caught the attention of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who said that the company removing Fox channels from YouTube TV would be “a terrible outcome”.
“Millions of Americans are relying on YouTube to resolve this dispute so they can keep watching the news and sports they want — including this week’s Big Game: Texas @ Ohio State,” Carr wrote on Tuesday on the social media platform X. “Get a deal done Google!”
Jonathan Mostow served as the director of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, but before him, Ridley Scott was supposedly offered to helm.
According to the director’s claim, the studio put a hefty $20 million on the table for him to direct it, which was equivalent to Arnold Schwarzenger’s fees at the time, who was one of the highest-paid actors.
However, the Alien filmmaker, in a recent interview with The Guardian, stated that he declined the offer.
“I can’t be bought,” he said, admitting to being surprised the studio offered him the fee, which he asked was what the franchise’s lead star was getting. “I thought: ‘**** me.’ But I couldn’t do it. It’s not my thing.”
However, passing down on the offer also had to do with his filming style, which he described by giving an example of a James Bond movie.
“The essence of a Bond movie is fun and camp. Terminator is pure comic strip,” he said. “I would try to make it real,” he shared.
“That’s why they’ve never asked me to do a Bond movie, because I would **** it up,” the director said.
Ridley, at the end, confirmed that he is working on a third film in the Gladiator series.
Sabrina Carpenter reportedly is eyeing a role in the next Mamma Mia movie.
According to Star Magazine, the 26-year-old pop sensation, secretly has been hoping to join the hit ABBA-inspired franchise.
“Sabrina’s been obsessed with ABBA since she was a little girl,” tipped a source.
They went on to address, “So it’s no exaggeration to say this would be a dream come true for her.”
For those unversed, The Espresso hitmaker has already brought her ABBA love to the stage, performing classics such as Dancing Queen during her set while opening for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour.
However, the insider noted that while Carpenter “really wants” the part, she’s managing her expectations.
“She’s trying not to get ahead of herself. She’s trusting that if it’s meant for her, it will happen.”
Whether or not she lands Mamma Mia, Hollywood seems ready to give Carpenter her big-screen moment.
“She’s definitely going to be on the big screen soon because Hollywood is very interested,” the source added.
“She’s already proven she can act, but she’s not resting on her laurels; she’s been studying with a great coach.”
Producer Judy Craymer even weighed in on the idea, telling Deadline in May that Carpenter “would be a goddess or some relation who would look very much like Meryl Streep” if she were to join the beloved franchise.
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