After failed attempts in both Italy and Barcelona, Woody Allen is now planning to make his next movie in Madrid. The 89-year-old director has secured €1.5 million ($1.7 million) from the Madrid Regional Government, according to the Spanish outlet El Pais.
While €1.5 million is a significant chunk, it’s certainly not enough to finance an Allen movie, though the director likely has some backers in place. He’s producing the film through his banner Gravier Production and Spain’s Wanda Vision (“Petra”).
Under the agreement with the Madrid Regional Government, which was posted online and quoted by El Pais, Allen will need to include Madrid in the title of the film. The amount will be divided into three payments contingent on the movie’s international career as it stipulates that a portion of the financing will come after the film world premieres at a major festival like the Berlinale. The investment is described on the portal as a “sponsorship by the community of Madrid of the promotional campaign for a feature film provisionally titled ‘Wasp 2026.’” Wasp actually stands for Woody Allen Summer Project.
The contract also states that “Woody Allen is one of the most versatile contemporary artists on the film scene,” and says that “the advertising and promotion of destinations through film has been a branding tool throughout the history of cinema.”
Allen has shot several films in Spain, most famously “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” which he filmed in the Catalan city with Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz in 2008. For that movie, he had also received €1.5 million from the regional body. Most recently, Allen returned to Spain with “Rifkin’s Festival,” shot in San Sebastián. The controversial director last made “Coup de Chance,” a romantic thriller set in Paris which marked his 50th movie. It world premiered at Venice Film Festival in 2023, where Allen managed to avoid any questions about the sexual abuse allegations made against him by his daughter, Dylan Farrow.
In an exclusive interview with Variety at Venice, Allen talked about his love for French cinema classics and addressed his difficulties in raising funding stateside due to the controversies, suggesting “Coup de Chance” may be his last film.
“I have so many ideas for films that I would be tempted to do it, if it was easy to finance,” he said. “But beyond that, I don’t know if I have the same verve to go out and spend a lot of time raising money.”
Representatives for Allen, Gravier Production and Wanda Vision did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
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