Woody Allen has begun filming his new comedy on the streets of Madrid. This is the 90-year-old director's 51st feature film, and the Spanish capital has been chosen as the main scene of the story.
Dozens of curious people gathered in the bustling city center to catch a glimpse of the filmmaker. Some of the streets were closed for filming, which turned the central areas of Madrid into a film set.
Woody Allen himself described the project as a comedy set in a diplomatic atmosphere. "I have always considered Madrid a very elegant and beautiful city, perfectly suited to the diplomatic atmosphere that I wanted to create in the story," the director said at a press conference in early October.
He explained that European cities attract him with their wide boulevards, tree-lined streets and ancient architecture. Allen contrasted them with American cities, especially New York, which is present in many of his most famous films.
The director is the author of “Annie Hall“, “Manhattan“ and “Midnight in Paris“, and has won four “Oscar“ awards in his sixty-year career.
For the Spanish capital, filming is not only a cultural event. The municipality and regional authorities are co-financing the production in the hope that it will boost tourism and attract investment.
The condition is that the name “Madrid“ appears in the title of the film. According to the municipality, the production will create around 1,200 direct jobs and around 2,300 indirect jobs.
The films are part of the later European period of Woody Allen's career. He has hardly worked in the United States after much of the American film industry distanced itself from him following sexual assault allegations made by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow. The director has not been charged with any crimes related to these allegations.
Since 1997, Woody Allen has been married to Soon-Yi Previn, another adopted daughter of his former partner Mia Farrow.