Woody Allen has long expressed an interest in making one of his films in Ireland, providing the financing was in place. Allen, however, says he’s still waiting for a call from Irish film honchos about putting a deal together.

"I haven't heard a word," the quirky filmmaker told Dublin’s Evening Herald newspaper last week. "No one has been in touch from Ireland."

That seems rather strange, given that snaring a big name like Allen would be a major coup for the Irish Film Board, the agency charged with promoting home-grown Irish movies. And sure enough, a spokesperson from the board told the Herald that they have tried, in vain, to contact Allen about making his Irish dream a reality.

"We were directly in touch with Mr. Allen's agent in LA in January this year and have outlined to them the many advantages of filming in Ireland," said a spokesperson, who added that the agent was also informed about the generous tax breaks and incentives Irish-based productions received from the government.

"We hope that his production company will consider Ireland as a film location, should they have a particular project that is suitable for Ireland in the future. Everything depends on the project and how it is financed when it comes to securing an international production to come to Ireland."

Ireland, said Allen last year, would be perfect for a film because “the light in Ireland in just so marvelous. I would love to find the right story which I could film there," he said.