Memoirs of Woody Allen published, his editorial quotes freedom of expression

LOS ANGELES, March 23 (Reuters) – An independent publisher released memoirs from film director Woody Allen on Monday, after being scrapped by another firm after protests over a decades-old accusation that the filmmaker sexually abused his daughter.

“Apropos of Nothing” was released across the country, Arcade Publishing said in a statement.

The autobiography is described as Allen’s “candid and comprehensive personal account” of his life, career, and “relationships with family and friends.”

The book was scrapped earlier this month by New York-based Hachette Book Group after a staff strike and criticism from Allen’s sons Dylan and Ronan Farrow.

The director of “Annie Hall” and other comedies, who won the Oscar four times, has repeatedly denied the accusation of sexually abusing his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, in 1992.

“Woody has told his story extensively in his book; we highly recommend that anyone with questions read it,” an Allen spokesman said in a statement Monday.

Jeanette Seaver, co-founder of Arcade Publishing, said in a statement that the decision to release the book was a matter of freedom of expression.

“We consider it essential to listen to more than one side of a story and, more importantly, not to silence a writer’s right to be heard,” Seaver said.

“We as publishers prefer to give a respected writer and filmmaker a voice rather than give in to the politically correct pressures of the modern world,” he added.

Allen, 84, is one of the filmmakers, actors and producers who have been accused of sexual misconduct or faced with a new reckoning of historical allegations since the #MeToo movement went global in late 2017.

Allen’s 2018 movie “A Rainy Day in New York” was not released by Amazon Studios. His latest film “Rifkin’s Festival” was filmed in Spain and has not been released yet.

(Report by Jill Serjeant. Edited in Spanish by Lucila Sigal)