‘I think it’s very stupid’: Woody Allen slams cancellation culture, talks possible retirement

Following the Rifkin Festival release in July 2022, Woody Allen returns to cinema with Coup de Chance, in theaters on September 27.

This time, the filmmaker set the cameras in Paris with an entirely French cast: Lou de Lages, Niels Schneider, Melville Pupo, Valérie Lemercier, Grigor Gadebois, Guillaume de Tonquedec and Elsa Zilberstein.

Alain tells the story of Fan (Lou de Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud). The latter have everything about an ideal couple: they are perfect in their professional lives, they live in a magnificent apartment in the most beautiful areas of Paris and it seems like they fell in love on the first day.

But when Fanny accidentally crosses paths with Allen, a former high school friend, she is immediately turned upside down. They see each other very quickly and get closer and closer to each other.

Coup de Chance was recently screened at the Venice Film Festival, which has been reeking of scandal after the selection of Woody Allen, Luc Besson and Roman Polanski. Due to their involvement in cases of sexual violence, the arrival of these directors at the festival was viewed very badly by some associations, who decided to show their disagreement by demonstrating at the red carpets.

A projection of disturbed odds

Thus, as indicated The Huffington PostProjection of Lucky Strike failed. “About 20 people approached the group chanting ‘Aggressor’ against Woody Allen. Demonstrators bared their torsos and raised red-painted hands in front of the Venice Cinema Palace on the Lido.”

“Then they tried to sneak onto the red carpet, but were pushed back by security. The group walked out chanting, ‘The bully is not sick, he’s a healthy child of the patriarchy,’ a chant from a feminist demonstration in Italy.”

On the other hand, the French actor Ariane Labed also condemned the choice of Roman Polanski, Luc Besson and Woody Allen. He posed in front of photographers with a message on his chest: “More honor for bullies”.

Feminist collectives Tapis rouge anger noire and Punto Froce also staged collage actions in Venice to protest the invitation of these filmmakers.

“Through this re-selection, film festivals continue to build a cross-cutting network of alliances and support aimed at victims of gender-based and sexual violence, not filmmakers accused of such violence.”– said the Black Anger Red Carpet Collective.

Woody Allen, who presented his 50th feature film, Coup de Chance, in this tense climate, also hinted at his possible retirement at the age of 87. he asked varietyThe director asks himself a question.

Has Woody Allen retired?

“I thought this was my 50th film and I had to decide if I wanted to do more. I thought of two things. One is that it is always very difficult to get money for a film. And do I want to go through with it?asks the director.

Making a movie is one thing, but finding the money to finance it, you know, it’s not tiring and glorious. However, if someone comes out of the shadows and says, I’ll pay you to do yours. film”, this will be a factor that will affect the realization of another work.

It is another matter in which direction feature films are going. I don’t like the idea—and I don’t know any directors who do—of making a movie and two weeks later having it on TV or streaming.Woody Allen said.

“We don’t live in a great cultural age. There were a lot of great movies in the past, and not many of them have been seen today. When I wanted to go to the movies, there were three or four movies. I was dying to see them.”he adds.

We do not live in a great cultural age. There were many great movies in the past and you don’t watch many of them anymore.

“Every week there was a film by Truffaut, Fellini, Ingmar Bergman and Kurosawa. Very few European films are shown in the US today. I think we are not in a great situation culturally and certainly not in this area. of cinemalaments the director of Manhattan and Match Point.

Abolish the culture

Woody Allen also spoke about the “cancellation culture” and insisted that he was not concerned about his work, despite the allegations of sexual abuse, which were denounced by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. The filmmaker always denied these allegations and called them “false and disgraceful”.

As Mediapart points outThe director writes them “On an acrimonious divorce, accompanied by a legal battle for custody of their children and accused of manipulating Mia Farrow into questioning their adopted daughter.”

Even if there wasn’t a lawsuit against him, the director has fully experienced the MeToo movement, with much of Hollywood turning their backs on him. “Famous actors and actresses publicly regret working with him”Mediapart recalls.

“The situation was reviewed by two major authorities, two major investigative agencies, and both, after a long and detailed investigation, concluded that these allegations are baseless.

The fact that it goes on always makes me think that maybe people like the idea of ​​doing it. Maybe there is something attractive for people. But why ?”, Wonders Woody Allen at Variety’s microphone.

“I don’t know what you can do except investigate, which they did very thoroughly. One lasted less than a year, the other a few months. They talked to everyone involved and, you know, both investigations came to exactly the same conclusion. .”

I find all this very stupid. I don’t even think about it. I don’t know what cancellation means.

The director also elaborates on his thoughts on “cancellation culture.” “I think it’s all very stupid. I don’t even think about it. I don’t know what ‘cancellation’ means. I know that everything has remained the same for me over the years. I make my own films. What has changed is the way of presenting feature films.”he explains.

“I work and it’s always the same routine for me. I write the script, I raise funds, I shoot, I shoot, I edit, I release. The difference is not in the ‘cancellation culture’. The difference is how people present my films now. It’s a big change.”– says the film director.

weather movement

Woody Allen also spoke about the MeToo movement and said that he supports it, even if it sometimes goes too far in his opinion: “If the movement brings anything positive, then it’s good for women. When it’s stupid, it’s just stupid. Sometimes it’s justified and very useful for women. For women, and even better. But sometimes I read things. In a newspaper that seems grotesque to me and I think it’s stupid.”

If there is anything positive about the movement, in this case it is good for women. When it’s stupid, it’s just stupid.

Then the director recalls that out of the 50 films he has made, not a single woman has filed a complaint against him. “I’ve been saying that for a few years and I was shocked. But the truth is the truth. I’ve done 50 movies. I’ve always had great roles for women, I’ve always had women in my casts. I’ve always been paid exactly what my male actors were. I’ve worked with hundreds of actors and never had one complaint.” .

“No one said, ‘She worked with him, she was mean, or I harassed her.’ It’s just never been a problem. My editors are women. I have no problem with that. It doesn’t really bother me. I hire whoever I think is good for the role. As I said, I have worked with hundreds of actors, famous and unknown. No one has complained and there is nothing to complain about”– says Woody Allen.

I have shot 50 films. I’ve always had really good roles for women, I’ve always had women on my teams, I’ve always paid them exactly the same as my actors. I have worked with hundreds of actors and never had a single complaint.

At our microphone, the actor Lou de Lage, the main role of his new feature film, spoke about the collaboration with the director:

“This is one of the most gentle, easy and kind shoots I’ve done. It was a little magic bubble. I’m not the only one who thinks so, and I can say the same for my partners and everyone. The team. It’s one. Those shots , who leave a mark, I will remember”He said in December 2022.

Will Chance be the 50th and last film of Woody Allen’s career? future will show. The feature film will be released in theaters on September 27.