An under wraps film project by Woody Allen has secured €1.5 ($1.7m) in funding from Madrid‘s regional government sparking rumors that the director is set to shoot a long-gestated feature in the Spanish capital.
Spanish newspaper El Pais, reported that Madrid’s regional government had posted a document detailing the funding contract on its procurement portal this week, stating it was part of a campaign to promote the region and included a clause that the film must include the city’s name in the title. “The advertising and promotion of destinations through film has been a branding tool throughout the history of cinema,” El Pais quoted the document as stating. The post named Película WASP as the main beneficiary. The project, taking it name from the acronym for Woody Allen Special Project, is a joint venture between Madrid-based Wanda Vision and New York-based Gravier Production. The document stated that the payment of the funding would be staggered and tied to different stages of the project such as the official announcement of it filming in Madrid, the start of shoot and its premiere in a major festival.
The sum of $1.7m will not be enough to get the film over-the-line so it remains to be seen whether Allen and his producers can raise more money. It was previously reported over the summer that Allen had been gearing up for shoots in Italy and France which fell through.
Allen, who turns 90 on November 30, told The Guardian newspaper in 2023 hat he found the process of raising money for a film “a pain in the neck”.
He added, however: “But if someone shows up and calls in and says we want to back the film, then I would seriously consider it. I would probably not have the willpower to say no, because I have so many ideas.
If the film does go ahead, it will be Allen’s third production shot in Spain after Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) and Rifkin’s Festival (2020) set against the backdrop of the San Sebastian Film Festival.
He has also previously put the spotlight on London with psychological thriller Match Point (2005) as well as on the French capital with Midnight in Paris (2011) and Coup de Chance (Stroke of Luck) (2023).
No details on plot or cast for the new film have been unveiled as yet, but speculation is rife in Spain that it could reunite Allen with Vicky Cristina Barcelona co-stars Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz.
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