Woody Allen Discusses Upcoming Paris Film, A New Book and Rifkin’s Festival in Argentine Interview

Rifkin’s Festival – the latest film written and directed by Woody Allen – continues its slow roll out around the world. The latest is Argentina, where it opens on 20 January 2022. To mark the release Allen did a new interview and he talked candidly about the film and some upcoming projects.

Allen spoke to La Nacion. Excuse the Google translation which I have tried to fix.

He spoke about Rifkin’s Festival. Interesting that the film is about nostalgia about old films, but Allen also says it’s about a wider industry that doesn’t exist.

“I daydream that I would like cinema to go back to what it was in another time, when I was young and every week there was films from Europe directed by De Sica, Fellini, Bergman, Kurosawa, Bunuel. We don’t have that cinema anymore, and we don’t have the places where we could see it either. Cinemas are disappearing because it is increasingly difficult for them to compete with the advantages offered by television, with its flat screens, which are increasingly larger and clearer, and with impeccable sound.”

He also confirms that he had a younger protagonist in mind before rewriting the film for Wallace Shawn. And that it was the suggestion of his former casting director Juliet Taylor.

“I had originally thought of a rather young main character, between 30 and 40 years old. But one day my casting director, Juliet Taylor, mentioned Wally Shawn, who she had already worked with. He is a wonderful actor, who can be as funny as he is serious and play the intellectual with the utmost naturalness. I immediately thought that Wally was the perfect actor for that character. So I decided to rewrite the whole movie for him.”

He gives us only slightly more about his upcoming Paris film was has been delayed two years now. Hopefully this summer is the summer.

“It has a similar nature to my film Match Point. It’s a police story that revolves around themes such as chance, coincidence, opportunities and good or bad luck. These are questions that interest me a lot. It is a story that could easily take place in New York, London or Barcelona, but it seems to me that the ideal place to develop it is Paris.”

Finally, most interestingly, Allen has apparently finished two other works – a play and a book. Neither of which we know anything about. Perhaps a second volume of Apropos Of Nothing? There’s certainly more stories.

“I wrote a play that is already finished and a book that will appear soon. And I also have a script ready to shoot when the time comes when we can feel comfortable shooting a movie.”

Sounds like some interesting projects being backed up from a man who never stops writing. The big question mark is whether he can get to Europe to make a film this year, which will likely be released in 2023.

Far more at La Nacion where Allen also discussed COVID, New York and how he has spent his days. There’s also a bit of interesting insight into the steps it takes to even do an interview with Allen.

Here’s the Argentinian trailer for Rifkin’s Festival. It’s out on the 20 January there as well as Mexico. It’s out in the US on the 28 January 2022.

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4 Comments

  1. It’s great to see Woody working hard and making wise use of his days during this tumultuous time. The Man is unstoppable, he just keeps going, and that’s way you gotta be!!!! Enjoy that which thrills you and become enraptured by it. Time is ticking, don’t waste it!!!

    GO WOODY!!!!

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