It’s a question many Los Angeles Film Festival watchers have been pondering this week. How the heck did Film Independent manage to convince Woody Allen to make an appearance at tonight’s opening night gala screening of To Rome With Love?

Based on the above Hollywood Reporter headline, a brief Q&A with artistic director David Ansen conducted by Gregg Kilday has the tantalizing answer. Not so fast. Hilariously (given the headline), here’s the non-answer provided by the critic-turned-programmer when asked about The Woodman’s rare west coast public appearance:

“I don’t know what his thought process was… I had told Tom Bernard and Michael Barker of Sony Pictures Classics that we’d really like to have Woody for opening night. And they came back a few days later and said, “We’re on.”

Ansen goes on to speculate that the worldwide smash-success of Midnight in Paris may have put Allen in a friendlier mood. Say it ain’t so Woody – you too a slave to boffo BO?

Previously on FishbowlLA:
LA Film Fest Opens Today