Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn have released a statement denouncing the new HBO docuseries, Allen v. Farrow, which levels accusations of incest and sexual abuse against the director.
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Allen and Previn called the four-part series a “hatchet job riddled with falsehoods” and alleged that the couple was only approached a few months ago to give their side of the story. They declined. The show premiered Sunday, February 21st.
“As has been known for decades, these allegations are categorically false,” the statement continues. “Multiple agencies investigated them at the time and found that, whatever Dylan Farrow may have been led to believe, absolutely no abuse had ever taken place. It is sadly unsurprising that the network to air this is HBO — which has a standing production deal and business relationship with Ronan Farrow. While this shoddy hit piece may gain attention, it does not change the facts.”
Filmmakers Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The first episode outlined how Allen and his ex-partner Mia Farrow met in the Eighties; although Allen said he was largely not interested in children, he became enmeshed into the lives of Farrow’s brood and the couple had two children together, Ronan and Dylan Farrow. The episode delves into Allen’s relationship with Dylan, which family and friends describe as intense and inappropriate. The show also features Mia Farrow describing how she found naked photos of her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn in Allen’s possession and details the start of Allen and Previn’s relationship.
The next three episodes of the show will go further into Dylan’s accusations against Allen, Mia Farrow and Allen’s custody trial, and the media frenzy surrounding Allen and Previn’s relationship. Allegations that Allen abused Dylan first came to light in the early Nineties when Dylan was seven during said custody trial. A criminal investigation was launched in Connecticut, where the Farrows lived, but the charges were dropped due to inconclusive evidence. Dylan has maintained that she was abused over the ensuing decades while Allen denies the allegations.
