Roman Polanski’s best director award in France led to major protests. The 86-year-old Oscar-winning filmmaker has been the subject of much controversy throughout his career and has been the focus of a decades long rape case.
In 1977, Polanski was arrested and charged with several offenses including rape after admitting to drugging and having unlawful sex with 13-year old Samantha Geimer at Jack Nicholson’s Hollywood home. The case shocked fans and moviegoers alike, and came at a time when Polanksi was rapidly earning a reputation as one of cinema’s greatest directors. With hits up to that point such as Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown, the Polish filmmaker’s life changed over night once arrested and charged. After spending 42 days being psychiatrically evaluated in prison, Polanski was released, pending sentencing. Originally believing that his 42-day stint would be the extent of his prison sentence, the Chinatown director became frightened after learning that he stood a very good chance of returning to prison. As a result, he fled the United States to France, and despite ongoing efforts to extradite him to the United States in order to face sentencing for his crime, Polanski has remained in exile ever since.
Though known internationally for the rape of a child, Polanski has continued to make films in subsequent years, and even been nominated for a wide array of awards, including Oscars. His most recent film, An Officer and a Spy, has been receiving wide acclaim since its release last autumn in France. After landing 12 nominations at this year’s Cesar awards (France’s equivalent of the Oscars), Polanski was awarded the best director Cesar for the film, though the controversial director did not attend the ceremony due to concerns for his personal safety. As it stood, Ruptly has reported (via Twitter) that protests broke out in the streets of Paris after the award was announced. You can check out some of the resulting tense moments below:
In addition to the street protests, several attendees of the Cesars walked out of the ceremony when Polanski’s best director win was announced. One of the women to leave the Cesars was actress Adèle Haenel, who has made news in recent months over her claims that she was sexually harassed as a child by director Christophe Ruggia. Both the symbolic walking out of the ceremony and the street protests have renewed scrutiny of Polanksi as well as of award ceremonies that seem to support both convicted and accused sex offenders. Beyond the rape charges against Polanski for his 1977 crime, the director has been accused numerous times since, of everything from sexual assault to violent rape by a host of other women.
It is worth noting that in the years since her 1977 rape by Polanski, Samantha Geimer has stated that she wishes Polanski would return to America in order to put an end to the entire incident. She has also said that she feels he has paid for what he’s done and that she doesn’t believe he’s a danger to society. Certainly, no one but Geimer has the right to such opinions, but in light of other cases cropping up against the elderly filmmaker, many would disagree that he isn’t a danger to society. His films may have substantial artistic and cultural merit, but judging by this latest wave of resistance against him, there are some things that the public simply can’t and shouldn’t forget.
Next: How Aziz Ansari’s 2019 Netflix Special Dealt With His Sexual Misconduct Controversy
Source: Ruptly
