#10 - ALLEN HATES FILM FESTIVAL COMPETITION

The most interesting comment made by Woody Allen aside from his film came in his reply to the question "why don't you ever present your films in Cannes in competition." The answer, was predictable, but sufficiently biting. "I don't believe in competitions for artistic things. Competition's great in sports, where that's the object of it, but you make a film, the jury will award the best film and I might find it the most boring at film. 

It's all very subjective, and you can't determine is a Rembrandt better than an El Greco, is a Matisse better than a Picasso. You can say what your favourite is. You can say "I went to Casnnes, I saw ten films and this is my favourite one", you might get ten different opinions, but that's perfectly reasonable. But for any group to come together and judge the work of other people, first of all, is something I would never do, and to make a judgement that this is the best and the implication is that in some platonic way it is the objective best, is something I don't believe in and I don't participate in." 

This was not a dig at Cannes - he specified he is happy to go to the festival everytime - but rather at the concept of competition in film. Of course, he is a man who never even attended the Oscar ceremonies or accepted any of the Academy Awards he received throughout his life, so it doesn't come as a surprise at all that he should think so!