The documentary, from filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, aims to offer a deep-dive into the the accusation of sexual abuse against Woody Allen involving Dylan, his then seven-year-old daughter with Mia Farrow; their subsequent custody trial, the revelation of Allen’s relationship with Farrow’s daughter, Soon-Yi; and the controversial aftermath in the years that followed. Though Allen has never been charged with a crime despite multiple investigations, the scandal has persisted as one of Hollywood’s most public controversies. Per HBO, “Allen v. Farrow” will interweave new investigative work, intimate home movie footage, court documents, police evidence, revelatory videotape and never-before-heard audio tapes, as well as interviews with Mia Farrow, Dylan Farrow, Ronan Farrow, family friend Carly Simon, prosecutor Frank Maco, relatives, investigators, experts and other eyewitnesses. The series also includes prominent cultural voices exploring Allen’s body of work in a broader context and reflecting on how public revelations about the personal lives of artists can lead to re-evaluations of their work.
In his B+ review of “Allen v. Farrow,” IndieWire TV Critic and Deputy Editor Ben Travers wrote: “Don’t tune in looking for a smoking gun. All the evidence anyone should need to form an opinion has already been presented, and while Dick and Ziering utilize new interviews with key, reclusive subjects like Dylan and Mia Farrow, old interviews conducted shortly after Allen’s alleged abuse, previously undisclosed documents from the case, as well as dozens of expert and eyewitness sit-downs, a confession isn’t coming. This is a reframing of known events, as told by those who lived it, save for the accused himself.” Dick and Ziering previously worked on the Russell Simmons exposé “On the Record.” The duo serve as executive producers on “Allen v. Farrow” alongside Dan Cogan, Tara Lynda Guber, Artemis Rising Foundation, Maiken Baird, Ian Darling, Steve Cohen & Paula Froehle,The Lozen Foundation, Debbie L. McLeod, Jenny Raskin, and Geralyn White Dreyfous. The four-part documentary is produced by Amy Herdy, who produced “On the Record” and Dick’s Oscar-nominated college campus sex crimes documentary “The Hunting Ground.”, and Jamie Rogers. Allen’s 2020 “Apropos of Nothing” memoir caused controversy; Dylan Farrow and Ronan Farrow condemned the book and its lack of fact checking, which caused Hachette to drop out of plans to publish the book. Allen’s memoir was subsequently picked up by Arcade. Check out the official trailer for “Allen v. Farrow” below:
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