Allen v. Farrow

Allen v. Farrow
GenreDocumentary
Directed by
Music byMichael Abels
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Cinematography
  • Thaddeus Wadleigh
  • Thorsten Thielow
Editors
  • Mikaela Shwer
  • Parker Laramie
  • Sara Newens
Running time56-73 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseFebruary 21 (2021-02-21) –
March 14, 2021 (2021-03-14)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Allen v. Farrow is an American documentary television miniseries directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering that explores an allegation of sexual abuse made against Woody Allen in 1992. It consists of four episodes and premiered on February 21, 2021, on HBO.[1][2]

The series features home videos and interviews with family members, including Allen's accuser, Dylan Farrow. Produced over a three-year period by Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering, and Amy Herdy, it involves extensive research into court documents and police reports, with some witnesses granting their first public interviews. Referred to as the "Eliza Project" to maintain secrecy, the series garnered the participation of Dylan and Mia Farrow after significant persuasion. Notably, Allen and Soon-Yi Previn did not respond to the request to participate in the documentary, while Moses Farrow, who supports Allen's perspective, declined to be interviewed. The documentary incorporates audio passages from Allen's 2020 memoir, Apropos of Nothing. Allen denounced the series, which he accused of perpetuating falsehoods.[3]

Allen v. Farrow received generally positive reviews from critics, though it was criticized by some commentators as one-sided, for showing Allen in a harsh light and allegedly under-utilizing testimony and evidence supporting his claims of innocence.[4][5] Its first episode garnered just over 1 million viewers, the most for a multi-episode HBO documentary series since The Case Against Adnan Syed in 2019.[6] The series was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.

  1. ^ "HBO Documentary Films' Four-Part Documentary Series ALLEN v. FARROW, From Award-Winning Investigative Filmmakers Kirby Dick & Amy Ziering And Amy Herdy, Debuts February 21". WarnerMedia. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Webb, Kevin (February 25, 2021). "How to watch 'Allen v. Farrow,' the HBO docuseries exploring Dylan Farrow's sexual abuse accusation against Woody Allen". Business Insider. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Abid, Rahman (February 21, 2021). "Woody Allen, Soon-Yi Previn Respond to 'Allen v. Farrow' Filmmakers: "These Documentarians Had No Interest in the Truth"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Freeman, Hadley (March 3, 2021). "Allen v Farrow is pure PR. Why else would it omit so much?". The Guardian. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Hoyle, Ben (February 22, 2021). "Allen v Farrow: documentary is 'a hatchet job riddled with falsehoods'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Maglio, Tony (February 23, 2021). "'Allen v Farrow' Has Biggest Debut for an HBO Docuseries in 2 Years (Exclusive)". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved February 23, 2021.