French cinema professionals from across the country’s independent production, distribution and exhibition chain flocked to an emergency general convention in Paris this week to raise the alarm over the future of their industry.
France has long prided itself on being the most cinephile country on the planet, but there is a growing sense among its indie cinema sector that the population has fallen out of love with the seventh art in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Figures released by the National Cinema Centre (Cnc) last week revealed the worst September box office for the country in 42 years, with 7.38 million entries, for a rough box office of 47m, representing a 20.7 drop on September 2021, and a 34.3 fall on the same month in 2019.
Admissions for the first nine months of 2022 are currently trailing 30 below the average for the same period from 2017-2019. September’s drop was due in part to a lack of big U.
France has long prided itself on being the most cinephile country on the planet, but there is a growing sense among its indie cinema sector that the population has fallen out of love with the seventh art in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Figures released by the National Cinema Centre (Cnc) last week revealed the worst September box office for the country in 42 years, with 7.38 million entries, for a rough box office of 47m, representing a 20.7 drop on September 2021, and a 34.3 fall on the same month in 2019.
Admissions for the first nine months of 2022 are currently trailing 30 below the average for the same period from 2017-2019. September’s drop was due in part to a lack of big U.
- 10/7/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Grappling with free-falling theatrical admissions and misplaced blame by exhibitors on so-called “auteur” movies, the leading lights of the French film industry sounded the alarm about the state of the country’s cinema sector during a dramatic and emotional conference.
The jam-packed event on Thursday, called Appel aux Etats Generaux (Call for General Assemblies), was organized by some of France’s most established producers including Saïd Ben Saïd, Judith Lou Levy and Philippe Carcassone, who work frequently with directors Paul Verhoeven, Mati Diop and Florian Zeller, respectively.
The conference was held at the Institut du Monde Arabe, a cultural venue headed by Jack Lang, who served as minister of culture throughout the 1980s. Nearly 800 people attended the event, including members of the independent distributors guild (Dire) and the directors guild Srf, the governing body of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
Filmmakers, producers, distributors, arthouse exhibitors and crew members took the stage to...
The jam-packed event on Thursday, called Appel aux Etats Generaux (Call for General Assemblies), was organized by some of France’s most established producers including Saïd Ben Saïd, Judith Lou Levy and Philippe Carcassone, who work frequently with directors Paul Verhoeven, Mati Diop and Florian Zeller, respectively.
The conference was held at the Institut du Monde Arabe, a cultural venue headed by Jack Lang, who served as minister of culture throughout the 1980s. Nearly 800 people attended the event, including members of the independent distributors guild (Dire) and the directors guild Srf, the governing body of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
Filmmakers, producers, distributors, arthouse exhibitors and crew members took the stage to...
- 10/7/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Tributes to Jean-Luc Godard, a pioneering and iconic leader of French cinema, began to flood in immediately after it was reported that the director died today, aged 91, with figures from the world of cinema, politics and beyond remembering the filmmaker for his powerful, singular work.
French President Emmanuel Macron was among the first to pay tribute to Godard with a short message on social media, saying France has lost a “national treasure” and calling the director the most “iconoclastic of New Wave filmmakers.”
Best known for his radical and politically driven work, Godard was among the most acclaimed directors of his generation with classic films such as Breathless (A bout de souffle), which catapulted him onto the world scene in 1960.
Speaking on France Info radio shortly after the news broke, Jack Lang, former Culture Minister of France, said Godard was “Unique, absolutely unique… He wasn’t just cinema, he was philosophy,...
French President Emmanuel Macron was among the first to pay tribute to Godard with a short message on social media, saying France has lost a “national treasure” and calling the director the most “iconoclastic of New Wave filmmakers.”
Best known for his radical and politically driven work, Godard was among the most acclaimed directors of his generation with classic films such as Breathless (A bout de souffle), which catapulted him onto the world scene in 1960.
Speaking on France Info radio shortly after the news broke, Jack Lang, former Culture Minister of France, said Godard was “Unique, absolutely unique… He wasn’t just cinema, he was philosophy,...
- 9/13/2022
- by Zac Ntim and Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Jean-Luc Godard, a leading figure of the French New Wave, has died. He was 91. The French newspaper Liberation first reported the news which was confirmed to Deadline by a source close to the filmmaker.
Best known for his radical and politically driven work, Godard was among the most acclaimed directors of his generation with classic films such as Breathless (À bout de souffle), which catapulted him onto the world scene in 1960. The film was from a treatment by his contemporary and former friend François Truffaut and followed the story of a young American woman in Paris, played by Hollywood star Jean Seberg, and her doomed affair with a young rebel on the run, played by Jean-Paul Belmondo.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
President Emmanuel Macron of France paid tribute to the director with a statement on Twitter, calling him the “iconoclastic of New Wave filmmakers.”
Born in Paris...
Best known for his radical and politically driven work, Godard was among the most acclaimed directors of his generation with classic films such as Breathless (À bout de souffle), which catapulted him onto the world scene in 1960. The film was from a treatment by his contemporary and former friend François Truffaut and followed the story of a young American woman in Paris, played by Hollywood star Jean Seberg, and her doomed affair with a young rebel on the run, played by Jean-Paul Belmondo.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
President Emmanuel Macron of France paid tribute to the director with a statement on Twitter, calling him the “iconoclastic of New Wave filmmakers.”
Born in Paris...
- 9/13/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Saudi Arabia’s nascent Red Sea International Film festival has unveiled its inaugural lineup featuring the Middle East premiere of Harvey Weinstein-inspired workplace abuse drama “The Assistant” amid a fresh mix of feature films and docs from Europe, the U.S., Asia, and Africa launching in the region on top of a robust representation of Arab films.
Significantly, the opener will be “The Book of Sun” by debuting Saudi directorial duo Faris and Suhaib Godus, about a teenager named Husam who, prompted by the growing phenomenon of Saudi YouTube content, embarks with a group of geeks on a mission to make a no-budget horror pic. Production of this film was supported by the fest.
Oliver Stone will preside over the competition jury.
Red Sea festival chief Mahmoud Sabbagh in a statement called “Book of Sun” “a testament to the passionate community of pioneering filmmakers who have inspired and drive Saudi cinema culture.
Significantly, the opener will be “The Book of Sun” by debuting Saudi directorial duo Faris and Suhaib Godus, about a teenager named Husam who, prompted by the growing phenomenon of Saudi YouTube content, embarks with a group of geeks on a mission to make a no-budget horror pic. Production of this film was supported by the fest.
Oliver Stone will preside over the competition jury.
Red Sea festival chief Mahmoud Sabbagh in a statement called “Book of Sun” “a testament to the passionate community of pioneering filmmakers who have inspired and drive Saudi cinema culture.
- 2/17/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Takeshi Kitano has taken home laurels from film festivals the world over. As of next week, he can lay claim to an even higher honor: France’s Legion of Honor, which the Japanese actor, director and comedian will receive at a ceremony in Paris next week for his contributions to contemporary arts.
Read More: ‘Boiling Point’ Exclusive Poster: Film Movement Classics Re-Releases Early Beat Takeshi Movie
Jack Lang, France’s former culture minister, said in a statement that the “Violent Cop,” “Sonatine” and “Outrage” director “comfortably went beyond the limits of art genres and transformed the rules of performing arts, television, film and literature.” Kitano will receive the rank of Officier, the L’ordre National de la Légion d’honneur’s fourth-highest honor.
Read More: Tokyo Film Festival: U.S. Indie Scoops Top Prize; Tim Burton And Takeshi Kitano Honored
“I am very surprised that I will be given such an honor,...
Read More: ‘Boiling Point’ Exclusive Poster: Film Movement Classics Re-Releases Early Beat Takeshi Movie
Jack Lang, France’s former culture minister, said in a statement that the “Violent Cop,” “Sonatine” and “Outrage” director “comfortably went beyond the limits of art genres and transformed the rules of performing arts, television, film and literature.” Kitano will receive the rank of Officier, the L’ordre National de la Légion d’honneur’s fourth-highest honor.
Read More: Tokyo Film Festival: U.S. Indie Scoops Top Prize; Tim Burton And Takeshi Kitano Honored
“I am very surprised that I will be given such an honor,...
- 10/24/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Left-wing political appointee takes over from Sarkozy-backed Eric Garandeau.
Former socialist minister Fréderique Bredin is to replace Eric Garandeau as president of France’s powerful film financing body, the National Cinema Centre (Cnc).
Rumours that Garandeau, a former political advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy, was on the verge of being replaced have been rife ever since the latter lost the French presidency in May 2012 to socialist candidate François Hollande.
Cnc chiefs rarely outlive the governments that appointed them so Garandeau’s departure comes as little surprise.
French newspaper Le Figaro reported that relations been Garandeau and socialist French Culture and Communications Minister Aurélie Filippetti, who was instrumental in Bredin’s appointment, were not warm.
“I send my warmest thanks from the bottom of my heart to all the staff of the Cnc, as well as to film-makers and professionals for their confidence and I salute their friendship. I send my successor my best wishes,” said Garandeau...
Former socialist minister Fréderique Bredin is to replace Eric Garandeau as president of France’s powerful film financing body, the National Cinema Centre (Cnc).
Rumours that Garandeau, a former political advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy, was on the verge of being replaced have been rife ever since the latter lost the French presidency in May 2012 to socialist candidate François Hollande.
Cnc chiefs rarely outlive the governments that appointed them so Garandeau’s departure comes as little surprise.
French newspaper Le Figaro reported that relations been Garandeau and socialist French Culture and Communications Minister Aurélie Filippetti, who was instrumental in Bredin’s appointment, were not warm.
“I send my warmest thanks from the bottom of my heart to all the staff of the Cnc, as well as to film-makers and professionals for their confidence and I salute their friendship. I send my successor my best wishes,” said Garandeau...
- 6/27/2013
- ScreenDaily
Left-wing political appointee takes over from Sarkozy-backed Eric Garandeau.
Former socialist minister Fréderique Bredin is to replace Eric Garandeau as president of France’s powerful film financing body, the National Cinema Centre (Cnc).
Rumours that Garandeau, a former political advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy, was on the verge of being replaced have been rife ever since the latter lost the French presidency in May 2012 to socialist candidate François Hollande.
Cnc chiefs rarely outlive the governments that appointed them so Garandeau’s departure comes as little surprise.
French newspaper Le Figaro reported that relations been Garandeau and socialist French Culture and Communications Minister Aurélie Filippetti, who was instrumental in Bredin’s appointment, were not warm.
“I send my warmest thanks from the bottom of my heart to all the staff of the Cnc, as well as to film-makers and professionals for their confidence and I salute their friendship. I send my successor my best wishes,” said Garandeau...
Former socialist minister Fréderique Bredin is to replace Eric Garandeau as president of France’s powerful film financing body, the National Cinema Centre (Cnc).
Rumours that Garandeau, a former political advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy, was on the verge of being replaced have been rife ever since the latter lost the French presidency in May 2012 to socialist candidate François Hollande.
Cnc chiefs rarely outlive the governments that appointed them so Garandeau’s departure comes as little surprise.
French newspaper Le Figaro reported that relations been Garandeau and socialist French Culture and Communications Minister Aurélie Filippetti, who was instrumental in Bredin’s appointment, were not warm.
“I send my warmest thanks from the bottom of my heart to all the staff of the Cnc, as well as to film-makers and professionals for their confidence and I salute their friendship. I send my successor my best wishes,” said Garandeau...
- 6/27/2013
- ScreenDaily
Originally published in the Guardian on 8 February 1985
Protests from all over the world have followed the arrest in Manila last week of Lino Brocka, the Filipino film director, on charges of suspected sedition. Brocka has been a thorn in the flesh of the regime for many years as a film-maker often at odds with the censor, and as an open opponent of President Marcos.
Last year, his film Bayan Ko was in competition at Cannes, where Brocka made an outspoken attack on the regime which had refused to pass it for home consumption. Later in the year it came to the London Festival, where the film won the British Film Institute's annual award for the most original and imaginative production shown at the National Film Theatre.
Curiously, a short time before Brocka's arrest, the Philippines' censor passed it for showing to adult audiences, though he wrote to a leading publication...
Protests from all over the world have followed the arrest in Manila last week of Lino Brocka, the Filipino film director, on charges of suspected sedition. Brocka has been a thorn in the flesh of the regime for many years as a film-maker often at odds with the censor, and as an open opponent of President Marcos.
Last year, his film Bayan Ko was in competition at Cannes, where Brocka made an outspoken attack on the regime which had refused to pass it for home consumption. Later in the year it came to the London Festival, where the film won the British Film Institute's annual award for the most original and imaginative production shown at the National Film Theatre.
Curiously, a short time before Brocka's arrest, the Philippines' censor passed it for showing to adult audiences, though he wrote to a leading publication...
- 2/8/2012
- by Derek Malcolm
- The Guardian - Film News
I know that many of you who read GeekTyrant are interested in becoming future filmmakers, which is awesome! It should come as no surprise to you that since I run a movie blog that I too would like to get into the business of making movies.
The Hollywood Reporter has come up with their list of 25 best film schools with basic details for each one. For those of you wanting to study the art of filmmaking, and wondering what the best schools for this are then this list should come in handy. Check out the full list below, and tell us what you think!
1. American Film Institute
Among the most selective film schools in America, AFI's Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies in Los Angeles offers a two-year conservatory program where students specialize in fields including directing, producing and writing, often coming to the institute after working in the...
The Hollywood Reporter has come up with their list of 25 best film schools with basic details for each one. For those of you wanting to study the art of filmmaking, and wondering what the best schools for this are then this list should come in handy. Check out the full list below, and tell us what you think!
1. American Film Institute
Among the most selective film schools in America, AFI's Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies in Los Angeles offers a two-year conservatory program where students specialize in fields including directing, producing and writing, often coming to the institute after working in the...
- 7/27/2011
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Chicago – At the heart of Pierre Thoretton’s melancholy documentary is a story of lost love, lost art, and the ever-present aura they leave behind. Pierre Bergé is often credited as co-founder of the couture house headed by world famous designer Yves Saint Laurent. Yet “L’amour Fou” allows Bergé to set the record straight on just how large a role he played in Saint Laurent’s phenomenal success.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Though this story is indeed a great one, this is not the first time a film has tackled it. In 2002, filmmaker David Teboul made two films about Saint Laurent. One focused more on his personal life, while the other provided a thorough overview of his trail-blazing fashions. Moviegoers seeking a well-rounded portrait of Saint Laurent should seek out Teboul’s work, since Thoretton’s film is somewhat limited by the perspective of Bergé, who repeatedly attempts to define a psyche...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Though this story is indeed a great one, this is not the first time a film has tackled it. In 2002, filmmaker David Teboul made two films about Saint Laurent. One focused more on his personal life, while the other provided a thorough overview of his trail-blazing fashions. Moviegoers seeking a well-rounded portrait of Saint Laurent should seek out Teboul’s work, since Thoretton’s film is somewhat limited by the perspective of Bergé, who repeatedly attempts to define a psyche...
- 6/3/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Mammuth star is the honourable descendent of Parisian pugs from Lino Ventura to Vincent Cassel
We can all agree that this has been a terrible few weeks for French masculinity – thanks not only to the off-duty actions of former Imf chief and alleged "rutting chimpanzee" Dominique Strauss-Kahn, but also to the moronic, insulting rationalisations offered de haut en bas by highly placed apologists such as Bernard-Henri Lévy and Jack Lang, who've sounded like scheming bourgeois misogynists from some mid-period Claude Chabrol movie.
Before this grotesque episode, Dsk had always reminded me of the great burly, barrel-chested, ugly-beautiful stars of French gangster movies; you could just imagine him blackmailing Lino Ventura, whom he strongly resembles (all the more so in handcuffs) or beating up Yves Montand in some Pigalle pissoir.
Luckily, we can still turn to Gérard Depardieu to redeem this fine tradition of Gallic movie sex symbols resembling bison who've...
We can all agree that this has been a terrible few weeks for French masculinity – thanks not only to the off-duty actions of former Imf chief and alleged "rutting chimpanzee" Dominique Strauss-Kahn, but also to the moronic, insulting rationalisations offered de haut en bas by highly placed apologists such as Bernard-Henri Lévy and Jack Lang, who've sounded like scheming bourgeois misogynists from some mid-period Claude Chabrol movie.
Before this grotesque episode, Dsk had always reminded me of the great burly, barrel-chested, ugly-beautiful stars of French gangster movies; you could just imagine him blackmailing Lino Ventura, whom he strongly resembles (all the more so in handcuffs) or beating up Yves Montand in some Pigalle pissoir.
Luckily, we can still turn to Gérard Depardieu to redeem this fine tradition of Gallic movie sex symbols resembling bison who've...
- 5/27/2011
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
French journalist Nina Sutton grew up in a country and time when women were routinely fondled. That history may help explain why France is still reluctant to condemn Dominique Strauss-Kahn, she writes.
When I first joined Le Matin in 1977, the editor in chief was in the habit of appearing suddenly behind a female journalist and grabbing her breasts with both hands while making some lewd comment or depositing a kiss on her neck. It was exasperating, it was humiliating but, I am ashamed to admit it today, it was also somewhat flattering.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Dominique Strauss-Kahn's Life in Jail at Rikers Island
He was in his 40s, tall, and good-looking. To be thus targeted by his lustful eye and hands was a kind of a distinction, however distasteful the gesture was. And most of us felt compelled to find a witty repartee while trying to wriggle out of his clutches.
When I first joined Le Matin in 1977, the editor in chief was in the habit of appearing suddenly behind a female journalist and grabbing her breasts with both hands while making some lewd comment or depositing a kiss on her neck. It was exasperating, it was humiliating but, I am ashamed to admit it today, it was also somewhat flattering.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Dominique Strauss-Kahn's Life in Jail at Rikers Island
He was in his 40s, tall, and good-looking. To be thus targeted by his lustful eye and hands was a kind of a distinction, however distasteful the gesture was. And most of us felt compelled to find a witty repartee while trying to wriggle out of his clutches.
- 5/25/2011
- by Nina Sutton
- The Daily Beast
Cologne, Germany -- In Europe, the reaction by politicians and industry execs to Roman Polanski's surprise release has been largely positive.
The governments of France and Poland applauded the decision by Swiss authorities Monday not to extradite the 77-year-old director to the U.S. to face sex charges and instead release him after nearly 10 months of incarceration.
Polanski holds dual French-Polish citizenship.
"We are extremely happy for him and his family," said German producer Christoph Fisser, deputy head of Studio Babelsberg and a co-producer on Polanski's "The Ghost Writer." Fisser in turn criticized the Swiss for taking so long to rule on the extradition case.
Writer and philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, who helped launch a VIP petition for Polanski's release, told French media he was "crazy with happiness" over the news. While Jack Lang, former French culture minister, said simply, "Merci Switzerland, Bravo Switzerland!"
Frederic Mitterand, Lang's successor as culture minister,...
The governments of France and Poland applauded the decision by Swiss authorities Monday not to extradite the 77-year-old director to the U.S. to face sex charges and instead release him after nearly 10 months of incarceration.
Polanski holds dual French-Polish citizenship.
"We are extremely happy for him and his family," said German producer Christoph Fisser, deputy head of Studio Babelsberg and a co-producer on Polanski's "The Ghost Writer." Fisser in turn criticized the Swiss for taking so long to rule on the extradition case.
Writer and philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, who helped launch a VIP petition for Polanski's release, told French media he was "crazy with happiness" over the news. While Jack Lang, former French culture minister, said simply, "Merci Switzerland, Bravo Switzerland!"
Frederic Mitterand, Lang's successor as culture minister,...
- 7/12/2010
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rome -- Italian Minister of Culture Sandro Bondi said he would boycott the Festival de Cannes in protest over a film that portrayed the Berlusconi administration, a move that by Monday had sparked a wave of criticism from the Italian film community.
Bondi made his decision based on the Cannes officials' choice to screen Sabina Guzzanti's documentary "Draquila -- Italy Trembles." The film, which will screen out of competition, is critical of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's handling of the deadly earthquake that struck the city of L'Aquila last year.
Guzzanti is the daughter of Paolo Guzzanti, a former parliamentarian and prominent figure in Berlusconi's political coalition.
When Bondi first announced the move, he indicated that other Italians upset over the film might join him. But as of Monday there was no indication that any notable figures in the Italian film world would join in the boycott.
Officials from Medusa,...
Bondi made his decision based on the Cannes officials' choice to screen Sabina Guzzanti's documentary "Draquila -- Italy Trembles." The film, which will screen out of competition, is critical of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's handling of the deadly earthquake that struck the city of L'Aquila last year.
Guzzanti is the daughter of Paolo Guzzanti, a former parliamentarian and prominent figure in Berlusconi's political coalition.
When Bondi first announced the move, he indicated that other Italians upset over the film might join him. But as of Monday there was no indication that any notable figures in the Italian film world would join in the boycott.
Officials from Medusa,...
- 5/10/2010
- by By Eric J. Lyman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Culture minister Sandro Bondi refuses to attend event over screening of Sabina Guzzanti's Draquila which mocks the Pm
The Italian government is refusing to take part in this year's Cannes film festival in protest at a documentary mocking prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's response to the L'Aquila earthquake, which devastated the central Italian town last year, killing more than 300 people.
Italy's culture minister, Sandro Bondi, snubbed an invitation to the festival, expressing his "regret and concern" over the screening of Draquila, which he described as "propaganda that offends the truth and the entire Italian population".
The work of Italian satirist Sabina Guzzanti, Draquila claims that Berlusconi systematically exploited victims of the quake to increase his popularity.
Coming at a time when Berlusconi's ratings had dropped to an all-time low and he was assailed by accusations over his private life, the earthquake "was as if God had stretched out his hand" to the prime minister,...
The Italian government is refusing to take part in this year's Cannes film festival in protest at a documentary mocking prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's response to the L'Aquila earthquake, which devastated the central Italian town last year, killing more than 300 people.
Italy's culture minister, Sandro Bondi, snubbed an invitation to the festival, expressing his "regret and concern" over the screening of Draquila, which he described as "propaganda that offends the truth and the entire Italian population".
The work of Italian satirist Sabina Guzzanti, Draquila claims that Berlusconi systematically exploited victims of the quake to increase his popularity.
Coming at a time when Berlusconi's ratings had dropped to an all-time low and he was assailed by accusations over his private life, the earthquake "was as if God had stretched out his hand" to the prime minister,...
- 5/9/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
The cast of The Fantasticks, the world's longest-running musical, will sing the national anthem at the Saturday, April 10, 2010 Mets game at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. The performance, which is in recognition of the show's 50th anniversary Off Broadway, is part of Jack Lang Day, named in honor of the beloved Hall of Fame sportswriter who covered the Mets for twenty-five years and who died in 2007.
- 3/25/2010
- BroadwayWorld.com
If Roman Polanski hadn't made a bunch of excellent movies and won an Oscar, would we be up in arms about a fugitive being brought to justice after three decades on the run? No, he'd be on America's Most Wanted.
Ronda Kaysen: If I have to hear one more person bemoan the justice system because Roman Polanski finally got arrested for pleading guilty to child rape and skipping town before sentencing, I'll scream.
So what if the guy makes really good movies? He raped a 13-year-old girl. It doesn't matter that the victim has come forward and said she no longer wants to see him prosecuted because she's tired of the media circus. She did not say, mind you, that she thinks he's innocent. She would just like to stop hearing about the time a famous director drugged, raped, and sodomized her 31 years ago.
In an op-ed in today's New York Times,...
Ronda Kaysen: If I have to hear one more person bemoan the justice system because Roman Polanski finally got arrested for pleading guilty to child rape and skipping town before sentencing, I'll scream.
So what if the guy makes really good movies? He raped a 13-year-old girl. It doesn't matter that the victim has come forward and said she no longer wants to see him prosecuted because she's tired of the media circus. She did not say, mind you, that she thinks he's innocent. She would just like to stop hearing about the time a famous director drugged, raped, and sodomized her 31 years ago.
In an op-ed in today's New York Times,...
- 9/30/2009
- Momlogic
Did you know read what Debra Winger, standing in as Zurich Film Festival jury president, was quoted saying with regard to Roman Polanski's recent arrest? "We hope today this latest order will be dropped [as] it is based on a three-decade-old case that is all but dead but for minor technicalities," she said. "We stand by and wait for [Roman Polanski's] release and his next masterwork." What? Does she even know what she is saying? Does the addition of "minor technicalities" in that statement make it any better? I would be interested to hear her explanation as to these "technicalities," and if it's that simple why wouldn't Polanski have returned to the U.S. since he fled 31 years ago? Doesn't Polanski's continued time abroad as well as requests to have the charges dropped insinuate he would return if he wasn't worried about facing the music these minor technicalities? Like I said when...
- 9/29/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.