Woody Allen calls abandonment culture silly and is considering retirement

Woody Allen says he doesn’t consider himself “canceled” after his adoptive daughter made allegations of sex abuse – but he says he could give it up in the movie business.

The famous, controversial filmmaker is at the Venice Film Festival, where he is presenting his latest project – “Coup de chance” – and during his stay… he did an extensive interview with diversityin which he addressed a number of issues, including the issue of abandonment culture.

The interviewer asks him if he feels like he’s been cancelled, so he replied, “I feel like if you get cancelled, that’s the culture where you have to be cancelled. I just find it all so silly. I don’t think about it. I don’t know what it means to be cancelled. I know things have stayed the same for me over the years.”

Adds Woody, “I make my films. What has changed is the presentation of the films. You know, I’m working and it’s the same routine for me. I write the screenplay, raise the money, make the film, shoot it, edit it,” comes out. The difference is not in the abandonment culture. The difference lies in the way they present the films. That’s the big change.”

What he doesn’t mention, of course, is that by and large his films don’t get major distribution here in the US these days – so in that respect it’s sort of been cancelled.

Now to the question what Dylan Farrow has allegedly about him — detailed in an HBO doc this Woody labeled as fiction — he basically dismissed it again here in this interview… and pointed out that it had been thoroughly investigated at the time and nothing had come of it.

He adds: “The fact that it’s lasting always makes me think maybe people like the idea of ​​it lasting. You know, maybe there’s something that will appeal to people. But why?”

This whole saga left a deep impression on the people of Venice…as evidenced by the fact that protesters turned up to denounce Woody’s presence and the screening of his French film. Nonetheless, it’s being shown right now – with WA front and center and in a tuxedo.

Anyhow, there are more Woody speeches to come in this session…including the prospect of retirement, something he brought up about a year ago – only to retract.

Now taking it a little more seriously, he explains, “I have so many ideas for films that I would be tempted to do it if it were easy to fund. But beyond that, I don’t know if I have that. “I have that same drive to go out there and spend a lot of time raising money.”

‘Coup de chance’ is Woody’s 50th film… but it was filmed in France and it remains to be seen if the guy has a great future in bringing American films to a wider audience here.