Ukrainian theaters cancel Woody Allen-based shows

Several theaters in Ukraine have decided to cancel shows based on scripts by filmmaker Woody Allen, following the American's remote participation in the Moscow International Film Week in Russia.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, the Maria Zankovetska Theater in Lviv has canceled performances of "Bullets Over Broadway," a musical based on a script by the Oscar-winning director.

In Chernivtsi, the Ukrainian Regional Academic Theatre of Music and Drama Olha Kobylianska decided not to present to the public "A Midsummer Night's Comedy: Or How Senseless the Whole Human Race Is".

In Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, the Molodyy Theater canceled screenings of "Riverside Drive."

"We condemn American director Woody Allen's participation in Moscow International Film Week. Culture cannot serve as a cover for crimes," the theater declared.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry criticized Allen, describing the director's participation in the Moscow film festival as "a shame and an insult."

The American, who participated in a panel hosted by Fyodor Bondarchuk, a political ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, mentioned in an interview with The Guardian that the Kremlin chief is "totally wrong," but assessed that "interrupting artistic conversations is not a good way to help."