HBO Max elects to keep Woody Allen films available in its library

HBO has said that it will not remove Woody Allen's films from its HBO Max streaming library, despite the fact that the company has produced a four-part miniseries delving into allegations of sexual abuse levelled by Allen's adopted daughter Dylan Farrow.

The docuseries, which aired its first episode on Sunday (February 21, 2021), is called Allen v. Farrow, and explores the home life of the Hollywood director and his ex-wife Mia Farrow. The series features interviews with Dylan Farrow, her brother Ronan and other members of the family, and discusses at length allegations of the sexual abuse Farrow claims to have suffered at Allen's hands in 1992.

35-year-old Dylan first reported the alleged abuse to Mia Farrow as a child, and restated her claims as an adult, in an open letter to the New York Times in 2014.

Allen has categorically denied the abuse allegations, framing them as coached or rehearsed, a way for a vengeful Mia Farrow to hurt him after he was found to be having an affair with Farrow's other adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn (now Allen's wife). Dylan Farrow gave a TV interview in 2018, denying that she had been coached into revealing the allegations against Allen by Farrow.

Allen and Previn released a joint statement in response to the documentary series, calling it "a hatchet job", and stating that it is "riddled with falsehoods."

“These documentarians had no interest in the truth," the statement continues.

“...Woody and Soon-Yi were approached less than two months ago and given only a matter of days ‘to respond’. Of course, they declined to do so.

“As has been known for decades, these allegations are categorically false. 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.”

HBO Max currently has six Allen films available to watch on its platform – Another Woman, Broadway Danny Rose, Radio Days, Shadows and Fog, Scoop, and September – but the streaming company says they will remain there for the foreseeable future.

“These titles will remain available in the library,” the company said in a statement given to The Wrap, “to allow viewers to make their own informed decisions about screening the work.”