Currently on trial in France for decrying the sexual assault claims from actress Charlotte Lewis, Roman Polanski now finds himself facing a trial next year in the United States over allegations of raping a minor in 1973.
The Oscar winning director is set to face American justice starting on August 4, 2025, plaintiff’s lawyer Gloria Allred revealed in a press conference today.
With Jane Doe (previously identified under a shortened version of her name in 2017) sitting by her side Tuesday, Allred also stated that 90-year-old Polanski received papers in the case recently at his home in Paris from a “process server.” After that, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge assigned the date on March 8, the famed advocate attorney stated.
A longtime fugitive from American justice and almost certain not to appear in court in Los Angeles, Polanski sitting for a deposition in the case is still a bit of an unknown, Allred says.
The Oscar winning director is set to face American justice starting on August 4, 2025, plaintiff’s lawyer Gloria Allred revealed in a press conference today.
With Jane Doe (previously identified under a shortened version of her name in 2017) sitting by her side Tuesday, Allred also stated that 90-year-old Polanski received papers in the case recently at his home in Paris from a “process server.” After that, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge assigned the date on March 8, the famed advocate attorney stated.
A longtime fugitive from American justice and almost certain not to appear in court in Los Angeles, Polanski sitting for a deposition in the case is still a bit of an unknown, Allred says.
- 3/12/2024
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
A Santa Monica judge has set an August 2025 trial date for a rape lawsuit against director Roman Polanski.
The plaintiff alleges that Polanski raped her in 1973, when she was underage, at his home in Benedict Canyon. According to her lawsuit, she had met him at a party months earlier. Polanski invited her to dinner at Le Restaurant on La Brea Avenue, gave her shots of tequila, and then drove her to his house, where she passed out on his bed, the suit states.
“Plaintiff remembers waking up in Defendant’s bed with him lying in the bed next to her,” the lawsuit states. “He told her that he wanted to have sex with her. Plaintiff, though groggy, told Defendant ‘No.’ She told him, ‘Please don’t do this.'”
According to the suit, Polanski ignored her pleas and proceeded to rape her. He then drove her home. That was the...
The plaintiff alleges that Polanski raped her in 1973, when she was underage, at his home in Benedict Canyon. According to her lawsuit, she had met him at a party months earlier. Polanski invited her to dinner at Le Restaurant on La Brea Avenue, gave her shots of tequila, and then drove her to his house, where she passed out on his bed, the suit states.
“Plaintiff remembers waking up in Defendant’s bed with him lying in the bed next to her,” the lawsuit states. “He told her that he wanted to have sex with her. Plaintiff, though groggy, told Defendant ‘No.’ She told him, ‘Please don’t do this.'”
According to the suit, Polanski ignored her pleas and proceeded to rape her. He then drove her home. That was the...
- 3/12/2024
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Court documents filed with Santa Monica Superior Court Judge H. Jay Ford III on Oct. 20 indicate director Roman Polanski has waged a legal attempt to clear his name of additional allegations of sexual assault.
Polanski’s legal team uses a number of defenses in its newest filing, including that the woman’s claim is not valid because she accused him of sexual battery—which didn’t become a crime until 1990. He also argued that the plaintiff’s request for damages was based on guesswork and conjecture.
The 90-year-old director is accused of luring the girl, identified as Jane Doe in her June 16 lawsuit against him, to his home. He then allegedly gave her tequila and assaulted her. This case is separate from decades-long allegations that the director had unlawful sexual intercourse with a then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer.
Other allegations against Polanski have cropped up over the years. Actress Renate Langer...
Polanski’s legal team uses a number of defenses in its newest filing, including that the woman’s claim is not valid because she accused him of sexual battery—which didn’t become a crime until 1990. He also argued that the plaintiff’s request for damages was based on guesswork and conjecture.
The 90-year-old director is accused of luring the girl, identified as Jane Doe in her June 16 lawsuit against him, to his home. He then allegedly gave her tequila and assaulted her. This case is separate from decades-long allegations that the director had unlawful sexual intercourse with a then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer.
Other allegations against Polanski have cropped up over the years. Actress Renate Langer...
- 11/2/2023
- by Stephanie Kaloi
- The Wrap
Roman Polanski has officially denied a woman’s accusation that the director sexually assaulted her at his home in 1973 after plying her with tequila both there and at a restaurant while knowing she was a minor at the time.
In court papers filed Oct. 20 with Santa Monica Superior Court Judge H. Jay Ford III, the 90-year-old director’s attorney cites multiple defenses, including violation of the statute of limitations, that the plaintiff’s damages are based on guesswork, speculation and conjecture and that the woman accuses Polanski of a crime, sexual battery, that did not become law until 1990.
The Oscar-winner’s attorney asks that plaintiff Jane Doe’s case be dismissed “with prejudice” – meaning it could not be refiled – and that the plaintiff “take nothing” from Polanski.
According to the suit filed June 16 and amended July 11, Doe met Polanski at a party in 1973, the year he would film Chinatown. The...
In court papers filed Oct. 20 with Santa Monica Superior Court Judge H. Jay Ford III, the 90-year-old director’s attorney cites multiple defenses, including violation of the statute of limitations, that the plaintiff’s damages are based on guesswork, speculation and conjecture and that the woman accuses Polanski of a crime, sexual battery, that did not become law until 1990.
The Oscar-winner’s attorney asks that plaintiff Jane Doe’s case be dismissed “with prejudice” – meaning it could not be refiled – and that the plaintiff “take nothing” from Polanski.
According to the suit filed June 16 and amended July 11, Doe met Polanski at a party in 1973, the year he would film Chinatown. The...
- 11/1/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
In The Palace, guests of a luxury hotel prepare to celebrate the turn of the millennium. The caviar is tasted. The fireworks are readied. Soon (you guessed it) indulgence shifts to debauchery. The director, if you haven’t heard, is Roman Polanski, a filmmaker whose marketability in Europe seems to endure almost in spite of its continued non-existence in Britain and the United States. The Palace was made on a budget of €17,000,000, boasts an Alexandre Desplat score and a starry cast, and was shot in the Gstaad Palace of Switzerland, where a basic single room will set you back a grand a night. The Palace premiered this week at the Venice Film Festival, where Polanski’s last film, An Officer and A Spy, opened to cautiously positive reviews in 2019, ultimately winning him the Silver Lion for Best Director. At the time you could almost feel the critical consensus straining against its better judgment.
- 9/2/2023
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Actor, producer and director Luca Barbareschi is at the Venice Film Festival this year as one the main representatives of Roman Polanski’s new film The Palace.
The satire, poking fun at the ultra-rich against the backdrop of Switzerland’s luxury Gstaad Palace Hotel and featuring Mickey Rourke, Fanny Ardant and John Cleese in the ensemble cast, world premieres Out of Competition in a gala screening on Saturday.
Its selection for Venice’s 80th edition has sparked debate in the film world, which remains split over whether Polanski should be celebrated as an artist while 1970s charges of unlawful sex with a minor in the U.S. remain unresolved.
The director, who turned 90 in August, has not travelled to Italy, where it remains unclear whether he would be subject to Italy’s extradition treaty with the U.S., while a number of the film’s international stars including John Cleese...
The satire, poking fun at the ultra-rich against the backdrop of Switzerland’s luxury Gstaad Palace Hotel and featuring Mickey Rourke, Fanny Ardant and John Cleese in the ensemble cast, world premieres Out of Competition in a gala screening on Saturday.
Its selection for Venice’s 80th edition has sparked debate in the film world, which remains split over whether Polanski should be celebrated as an artist while 1970s charges of unlawful sex with a minor in the U.S. remain unresolved.
The director, who turned 90 in August, has not travelled to Italy, where it remains unclear whether he would be subject to Italy’s extradition treaty with the U.S., while a number of the film’s international stars including John Cleese...
- 9/2/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The first issue is the headline. As a culture journalist reporting the news of the 80th Venice Film Festival, should you lead with this year’s impressive list of directors, including Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, David Fincher, Bradley Cooper and Yorgos Lanthimos, and stars — Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Penélope Cruz, Adam Driver, Mads Mikkelsen — speculating, perhaps, on who will and won’t make it to the Lido during Hollywood’s double strike? Or do you go for the all-important clicks by emphasizing scandal: Venice includes new films from Roman Polanski (The Palace), Woody Allen (Coup de Chance) and Luc Besson (DogMan) in the official lineup.
“I really struggled with it, to go for the stars or to go for the controversy,” says Eric Randolph, arts & lifestyle editor for the English division of international wire service Agence France-Presse. “I just couldn’t decide. And in the end, we went with the...
“I really struggled with it, to go for the stars or to go for the controversy,” says Eric Randolph, arts & lifestyle editor for the English division of international wire service Agence France-Presse. “I just couldn’t decide. And in the end, we went with the...
- 8/30/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Deadline can reveal the international trailer for Roman Polanski’s ensemble dark comedy The Palace ahead of its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.
Shot against the backdrop of Switzerland’s luxury Gstaad Palace hotel, the film unfolds in the lead-up to a lavish New Year Party on the eve of 2000.
Mickey Rourke is unveiled as a demanding client with a Trump-style blond wig; Fanny Ardant as a wealthy marquise fretting over her constipated chihuahua, and John Cleese as a business magnate, who pitches up with his much-younger, new bride (Bronwyn James) and a live penguin.
The motley assortment of guests seeing in the new millennium also features a party of wealthy Russians (who tune into Vladimir Putin’s real-life News Year’s Eve Speech declaring he had been made interim president following Boris Yeltsin’s resignation), and a former porn star.
In the backdrop, the...
Shot against the backdrop of Switzerland’s luxury Gstaad Palace hotel, the film unfolds in the lead-up to a lavish New Year Party on the eve of 2000.
Mickey Rourke is unveiled as a demanding client with a Trump-style blond wig; Fanny Ardant as a wealthy marquise fretting over her constipated chihuahua, and John Cleese as a business magnate, who pitches up with his much-younger, new bride (Bronwyn James) and a live penguin.
The motley assortment of guests seeing in the new millennium also features a party of wealthy Russians (who tune into Vladimir Putin’s real-life News Year’s Eve Speech declaring he had been made interim president following Boris Yeltsin’s resignation), and a former porn star.
In the backdrop, the...
- 8/23/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera has shown once again that he is not scared to court controversy.
The festival head has given Roman Polanski a safe festival berth for his new movie The Palace at Venice, in a selection that is likely to spark debate alongside the inclusion of Woody Allen’s Coeur de Chance.
They are among 12 films due to play Out of Competition at the 80th edition running August 30 to September 9.
Barbera told Italian journalists in a Q&a after the main lineup announcement that Polanski, who turns 90 in August, will not make the trip to the Lido, while Woody is down to attend.
Related: Venice Is Still Hopeful That Its Red Carpet Will Be Full Of Stars If Movies Such As ‘Ferrari’, ‘Priscilla’ & More Are Granted SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements
The Palace will still make for a starry red carpet with its ensemble cast featuring Oliver Masucci,...
The festival head has given Roman Polanski a safe festival berth for his new movie The Palace at Venice, in a selection that is likely to spark debate alongside the inclusion of Woody Allen’s Coeur de Chance.
They are among 12 films due to play Out of Competition at the 80th edition running August 30 to September 9.
Barbera told Italian journalists in a Q&a after the main lineup announcement that Polanski, who turns 90 in August, will not make the trip to the Lido, while Woody is down to attend.
Related: Venice Is Still Hopeful That Its Red Carpet Will Be Full Of Stars If Movies Such As ‘Ferrari’, ‘Priscilla’ & More Are Granted SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements
The Palace will still make for a starry red carpet with its ensemble cast featuring Oliver Masucci,...
- 7/25/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Roman Polanski, who has been a Hollywood outcast since 1978, when Samantha Geimer accused him of allegedly sexually assaulting her in 1977 when she was just 13 years old, recently posed for a selfie with his alleged victim.
Both Geimer and Polanski were pictured smiling despite the incident from 45 years ago, and the subsequent five charges of rape by use of drugs, perversion, lewd and lascivious act upon a child under fourteen, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor, brought against Polanski.
Geimer, who had asked a judge to drop the case against Polanski in 2017, sat down for an interview for French publication Le Point with her alleged assaulter’s wife, former model Emmanuelle Seigner.
Speaking to Seigner, Geimer explained that it was time for them to finally meet and “speak, you know, together in solidarity of adult capable women who have opinions and don’t have to fall into this...
Both Geimer and Polanski were pictured smiling despite the incident from 45 years ago, and the subsequent five charges of rape by use of drugs, perversion, lewd and lascivious act upon a child under fourteen, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor, brought against Polanski.
Geimer, who had asked a judge to drop the case against Polanski in 2017, sat down for an interview for French publication Le Point with her alleged assaulter’s wife, former model Emmanuelle Seigner.
Speaking to Seigner, Geimer explained that it was time for them to finally meet and “speak, you know, together in solidarity of adult capable women who have opinions and don’t have to fall into this...
- 5/17/2023
- by Nicky Kashani
- Uinterview
Jane Fonda is calling out late French filmmaker René Clément over on-set sexual harassment.
The “Book Club: The Next Chapter” actress revealed to “Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen that Clément propositioned her while filming 1964 thriller “Joy House.” The film also starred Alain Delon and Lola Albright, featuring both American and French actors under Clément’s agreement with MGM. Natalie Wood was originally set to star before dropping out; Fonda replaced the “Rebel Without a Cause” actress.
Host Cohen asked Fonda to name “one man in Hollywood that tried to pick you up once that you turned down,” to which Fonda replied, “The French director René Clément.”
The Oscar winner continued, “Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like. He said it in French and...
The “Book Club: The Next Chapter” actress revealed to “Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen that Clément propositioned her while filming 1964 thriller “Joy House.” The film also starred Alain Delon and Lola Albright, featuring both American and French actors under Clément’s agreement with MGM. Natalie Wood was originally set to star before dropping out; Fonda replaced the “Rebel Without a Cause” actress.
Host Cohen asked Fonda to name “one man in Hollywood that tried to pick you up once that you turned down,” to which Fonda replied, “The French director René Clément.”
The Oscar winner continued, “Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like. He said it in French and...
- 5/16/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” actress Adèle Haenel is calling out the French film industry for supporting known sexual abusers.
Haenel wrote an op-ed letter for French publication Télérama in which she denounced the “general complacency” toward “sexual aggressors” like actor Gerard Depardieu, who was recently accused of sexual misconduct by 13 women, and director Roman Polanski, who raped then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977.
“They join hands [to protect] the [Gerard] Depardieus, the [Roman] Polanskis, the [Dominique] Boutonnats,” Haenel wrote (via The Hollywood Reporter). “It bothers them that the victims make too much noise. They preferred that we disappear and die in silence.”
Doubling down on her retirement from movies, she added that the French industry has effectively “canceled” its own #MeToo movement over the years, writing, “You have the money, the strength, and all the glory [but] you won’t have me as a spectator. I cancel you from my world.”
Haenel previously accused French...
Haenel wrote an op-ed letter for French publication Télérama in which she denounced the “general complacency” toward “sexual aggressors” like actor Gerard Depardieu, who was recently accused of sexual misconduct by 13 women, and director Roman Polanski, who raped then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977.
“They join hands [to protect] the [Gerard] Depardieus, the [Roman] Polanskis, the [Dominique] Boutonnats,” Haenel wrote (via The Hollywood Reporter). “It bothers them that the victims make too much noise. They preferred that we disappear and die in silence.”
Doubling down on her retirement from movies, she added that the French industry has effectively “canceled” its own #MeToo movement over the years, writing, “You have the money, the strength, and all the glory [but] you won’t have me as a spectator. I cancel you from my world.”
Haenel previously accused French...
- 5/9/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Samantha Geimer, who was raped by Roman Polanski when she was an under-age teenager, has once again spoken out denying that she is a victim – this time in an interview with Polanski’s wife, Emmanuelle Seigner.
Geimer, who was 13 when she was given alcohol and pills and raped by the French-Polish film director, told Seigner for an interview in Le Point magazine (translated by IndieWire) that what happened had “never been a problem for her.”
She said: “Let me be very clear: what happened with Polanski was never a big problem for me. I didn’t even know it was illegal, that someone could be arrested for it. I was fine, I’m still fine. The fact that we’ve made this thing up weighs on me terribly. To have to constantly repeat that it wasn’t a big deal, it’s a terrible burden.”
In the interview, Geimer and...
Geimer, who was 13 when she was given alcohol and pills and raped by the French-Polish film director, told Seigner for an interview in Le Point magazine (translated by IndieWire) that what happened had “never been a problem for her.”
She said: “Let me be very clear: what happened with Polanski was never a big problem for me. I didn’t even know it was illegal, that someone could be arrested for it. I was fine, I’m still fine. The fact that we’ve made this thing up weighs on me terribly. To have to constantly repeat that it wasn’t a big deal, it’s a terrible burden.”
In the interview, Geimer and...
- 4/15/2023
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Samantha Geimer is once again defending Roman Polanski, who raped her in 1977 when she was 13 years old. Geimer has often spoken out in support of Polanski, although this time she did it in an interview with France’s Le Point magazine that was conducted by none other than Polanski’s wife, the actor Emmanuelle Seigner.
Polanski was arrested in 1977 for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He accepted a plea bargain and only served 42 days in prison. He fled the United States in 1978 while still under probation after his legal team got word that he was going to face imprisonment on additional charges. He was detained by Swiss police decades later in 2009 while traveling to the Zurich Film Festival in an attempt by the United States to extradite him. The Swiss court ultimately rejected the request and released Polanski.
“Let me be very clear: what happened with Polanski was...
Polanski was arrested in 1977 for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He accepted a plea bargain and only served 42 days in prison. He fled the United States in 1978 while still under probation after his legal team got word that he was going to face imprisonment on additional charges. He was detained by Swiss police decades later in 2009 while traveling to the Zurich Film Festival in an attempt by the United States to extradite him. The Swiss court ultimately rejected the request and released Polanski.
“Let me be very clear: what happened with Polanski was...
- 4/14/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Samantha Geimer, whom Roman Polanski raped when she was 13 in Los Angeles, is once again reaffirming that the sexual assault was never an issue for her in a new interview with his wife, Emmanuelle Seigner.
In the interview conducted by Le Point, as translated by IndieWire, Geimer, who was 13 when Polanski gave her alcohol and pills and raped and sodomized her in the home of Jack Nicholson, said, “Let me be very clear: what happened with Polanski was never a big problem for me. I didn’t even know it was illegal, that someone could be arrested for it. I was fine, I’m still fine. The fact that we’ve made this thing up weighs on me terribly. To have to constantly repeat that it wasn’t a big deal, it’s a terrible burden.”
Geimer is among five other women who have accused Polanski of underage sexual abuse.
In the interview conducted by Le Point, as translated by IndieWire, Geimer, who was 13 when Polanski gave her alcohol and pills and raped and sodomized her in the home of Jack Nicholson, said, “Let me be very clear: what happened with Polanski was never a big problem for me. I didn’t even know it was illegal, that someone could be arrested for it. I was fine, I’m still fine. The fact that we’ve made this thing up weighs on me terribly. To have to constantly repeat that it wasn’t a big deal, it’s a terrible burden.”
Geimer is among five other women who have accused Polanski of underage sexual abuse.
- 4/14/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Roman Polanski’s lawyer indicated Monday that he will renew his request to have the fugitive director sentenced in absentia, a day after a transcript was unsealed that revives misconduct allegations in the director’s 45-year-old rape case.
But the path to resolving the case is not at all straightforward. Harland Braun, Polanski’s lawyer, said in an interview that he first wants to get a new judge to handle it. Braun stated that the current judge, Sam Ohta, cannot be trusted to deal with it fairly, noting that Ohta had initially refused to release the transcript, which the defense has sought to unseal for 12 years.
“Ohta is worthless,” Braun said in an interview. “Ohta is all screwed up. I don’t trust any judge in L.A. to listen to this.”
Braun said he first wants to go to Judge Eric C. Taylor, the presiding judge for Los Angeles County,...
But the path to resolving the case is not at all straightforward. Harland Braun, Polanski’s lawyer, said in an interview that he first wants to get a new judge to handle it. Braun stated that the current judge, Sam Ohta, cannot be trusted to deal with it fairly, noting that Ohta had initially refused to release the transcript, which the defense has sought to unseal for 12 years.
“Ohta is worthless,” Braun said in an interview. “Ohta is all screwed up. I don’t trust any judge in L.A. to listen to this.”
Braun said he first wants to go to Judge Eric C. Taylor, the presiding judge for Los Angeles County,...
- 7/19/2022
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
A retired prosecutor recalled in 2010 that he was so concerned about the handling of the rape case against Roman Polanski in 1977 that he drafted a document seeking the removal of the judge.
Roger Gunson testified in a closed hearing that Judge Laurence Rittenband appeared to be having “ex parte” conversations about the case. Gunson also said that he understood Polanski’s decision to flee the country in 1978, though he did not think it was justified.
“I was surprised, but after reflecting upon what had happened, I wasn’t surprised that he left,” Gunson testified, saying he believed the judge had reneged on a promise to limit Polanski’s sentence to a brief stay in prison for a psychiatric examination. “There becomes a question as to whether he, Mr. Polanski, can rely upon the representation of Judge Rittenband.”
Gunson’s testimony was unsealed late Sunday night, after an appeals court ordered its release last week.
Roger Gunson testified in a closed hearing that Judge Laurence Rittenband appeared to be having “ex parte” conversations about the case. Gunson also said that he understood Polanski’s decision to flee the country in 1978, though he did not think it was justified.
“I was surprised, but after reflecting upon what had happened, I wasn’t surprised that he left,” Gunson testified, saying he believed the judge had reneged on a promise to limit Polanski’s sentence to a brief stay in prison for a psychiatric examination. “There becomes a question as to whether he, Mr. Polanski, can rely upon the representation of Judge Rittenband.”
Gunson’s testimony was unsealed late Sunday night, after an appeals court ordered its release last week.
- 7/18/2022
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
A newly unsealed court transcript appears to support claims that the judge who oversaw Roman Polanski’s case broke promises related to the disgraced director’s sentencing, The Associated Press reports. Polanski admitted having sex with a 13-year-old in 1977.
The transcript comes from closed-door testimony given by former Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson in 2010 about the conduct of the now-deceased Judge Laurence Rittenband. According to Gunson, Rittenband told both him and Polanski’s lawyer that the director would get a slightly longer sentence than he’d originally been promised. This,...
The transcript comes from closed-door testimony given by former Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson in 2010 about the conduct of the now-deceased Judge Laurence Rittenband. According to Gunson, Rittenband told both him and Polanski’s lawyer that the director would get a slightly longer sentence than he’d originally been promised. This,...
- 7/18/2022
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
A state appeals court Wednesday ordered the unsealing of a former prosecutor’s testimony in the criminal case against Roman Polanski. The ruling could eventually draw to a close the 45-year-old legal saga.
California’s Second Appellate District issued the order after the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office lifted its opposition to unseal transcripts of closed-door testimony from retired prosecutor Roger Gunson. A panel of justices pointed to potential judicial and prosecutorial misconduct that would require “curative action.”
“The conditional deposition of Gunson was a post-plea evidentiary hearing designed to uncover these alleged abuses, and we agree with the People that there is no factual or legal basis for the conditional deposition transcript to remain sealed,” reads the order.
Harland Braun, Polanski’s attorney, said he will move for the director to be sentenced without having to be physically present in court.
A state appeals court Wednesday ordered the unsealing of a former prosecutor’s testimony in the criminal case against Roman Polanski. The ruling could eventually draw to a close the 45-year-old legal saga.
California’s Second Appellate District issued the order after the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office lifted its opposition to unseal transcripts of closed-door testimony from retired prosecutor Roger Gunson. A panel of justices pointed to potential judicial and prosecutorial misconduct that would require “curative action.”
“The conditional deposition of Gunson was a post-plea evidentiary hearing designed to uncover these alleged abuses, and we agree with the People that there is no factual or legal basis for the conditional deposition transcript to remain sealed,” reads the order.
Harland Braun, Polanski’s attorney, said he will move for the director to be sentenced without having to be physically present in court.
- 7/14/2022
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A three-judge appellate panel ordered the release of a transcript in the Roman Polanski case on Wednesday, one day after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office withdrew its objection to disclosing the document.
Two authors, Sam Wasson and William Rempel, had asked the court to unseal the transcript of a 2010 examination of Roger Gunson, the retired prosecutor who handled the case against Polanski in 1977. Polanski has been a fugitive ever since fleeing to France in 1978, shortly before he was to be sentenced for raping a 13-year-old girl.
Polanski and his supporters have often argued that Judge Laurence Rittenband engaged in serious misconduct and reneged on a promise to sentence him to no more than a 90-day psychiatric evaluation. Gunson was interviewed for the 2008 documentary “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” which brought greater scrutiny to the handling of the case. He also testified behind closed doors for three days...
Two authors, Sam Wasson and William Rempel, had asked the court to unseal the transcript of a 2010 examination of Roger Gunson, the retired prosecutor who handled the case against Polanski in 1977. Polanski has been a fugitive ever since fleeing to France in 1978, shortly before he was to be sentenced for raping a 13-year-old girl.
Polanski and his supporters have often argued that Judge Laurence Rittenband engaged in serious misconduct and reneged on a promise to sentence him to no more than a 90-day psychiatric evaluation. Gunson was interviewed for the 2008 documentary “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” which brought greater scrutiny to the handling of the case. He also testified behind closed doors for three days...
- 7/14/2022
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has agreed to unseal a transcript that has long been sought by Roman Polanski, as prosecutors are reconsidering the director’s 45-year-old rape case with “fresh eyes.”
Gascón announced Tuesday that the office had reversed its position and would no longer object to unsealing a transcript of a 2010 examination of Roger Gunson, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted Polanski for raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Polanski, now 88, pleaded guilty but fled to France before sentencing. He has lived abroad ever since. Numerous efforts by previous D.A.’s to extradite him have failed, as have Polanski’s efforts to resolve the case without first returning to the U.S.
The announcement indicated that Gascón, who was elected in 2020, is breaking with the approach of his predecessors. His office also indicated a willingness to take a new look at the case, which Polanski and...
Gascón announced Tuesday that the office had reversed its position and would no longer object to unsealing a transcript of a 2010 examination of Roger Gunson, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted Polanski for raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Polanski, now 88, pleaded guilty but fled to France before sentencing. He has lived abroad ever since. Numerous efforts by previous D.A.’s to extradite him have failed, as have Polanski’s efforts to resolve the case without first returning to the U.S.
The announcement indicated that Gascón, who was elected in 2020, is breaking with the approach of his predecessors. His office also indicated a willingness to take a new look at the case, which Polanski and...
- 7/13/2022
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is no longer opposing a request to unseal a former prosecutor’s testimony that Roman Polanski claims will reveal misconduct from a judge, thus warranting dismissal of the decades-old case against him.
Los Angeles prosecutors on Tuesday lifted their opposition to unseal transcripts of closed-door testimony from the original prosecutor handling the case, Roger Gunson, who retired in 2002. District Attorney George Gascón told The Hollywood Reporter there were “some irregularities” in the case, starting with potential “judicial misconduct” from the judge who initially oversaw the proceedings.
A ruling unsealing the testimony could lead to Polanski being allowed to return to the United States without serving prison time for his underlying criminal case if it’s found that the court improperly reneged on the plea deal he allegedly struck with prosecutors for 90 days of psychiatric evaluation. He...
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is no longer opposing a request to unseal a former prosecutor’s testimony that Roman Polanski claims will reveal misconduct from a judge, thus warranting dismissal of the decades-old case against him.
Los Angeles prosecutors on Tuesday lifted their opposition to unseal transcripts of closed-door testimony from the original prosecutor handling the case, Roger Gunson, who retired in 2002. District Attorney George Gascón told The Hollywood Reporter there were “some irregularities” in the case, starting with potential “judicial misconduct” from the judge who initially oversaw the proceedings.
A ruling unsealing the testimony could lead to Polanski being allowed to return to the United States without serving prison time for his underlying criminal case if it’s found that the court improperly reneged on the plea deal he allegedly struck with prosecutors for 90 days of psychiatric evaluation. He...
- 7/12/2022
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Amazon Donates $600,000 To Germany
Amazon Prime Video has donated €500,000 to a German relief fund for entertainment industry workers who have been left without income by the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon, which counts Deutschland 89 among its German originals, has donated to Backstage Heroes, a fundraising campaign led by Stern magazine. Amazon’s support is part of a $6M commitment announced earlier this year to support the European production community.
Arrow Options Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski Books
UK producer Arrow Media has optioned journalist Nicole Weisensee Egan’s Bill Cosby investigative book Chasing Cosby: The Downfall of America’s Dad, as well as Samantha Geimer’s memoir The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski. Both will be turned into documentary series, with the latter co-produced with Handel Productions. Anna Davies, executive producer, development, Arrow Media, said: “Both of these stories are ultimately about the abuse of power and the power of celebrity.
Amazon Prime Video has donated €500,000 to a German relief fund for entertainment industry workers who have been left without income by the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon, which counts Deutschland 89 among its German originals, has donated to Backstage Heroes, a fundraising campaign led by Stern magazine. Amazon’s support is part of a $6M commitment announced earlier this year to support the European production community.
Arrow Options Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski Books
UK producer Arrow Media has optioned journalist Nicole Weisensee Egan’s Bill Cosby investigative book Chasing Cosby: The Downfall of America’s Dad, as well as Samantha Geimer’s memoir The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski. Both will be turned into documentary series, with the latter co-produced with Handel Productions. Anna Davies, executive producer, development, Arrow Media, said: “Both of these stories are ultimately about the abuse of power and the power of celebrity.
- 12/10/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Roman Polanski’s big win on Friday at the César Awards, the French equivalent to the Academy Awards, prompted several actresses to walk out of the ceremony.
Although Polanski, 86, did not attend the ceremony — citing planned protests outside of the venue — he won best director for his film J’Accuse, known outside of France as An Officer and a Spy.
After the win was announced, actress Adele Haenel — the star of the film Portrait of a Lady on Fire, who also revealed last year that she had been sexually abused by a director as a child — walked out of the ceremony.
Although Polanski, 86, did not attend the ceremony — citing planned protests outside of the venue — he won best director for his film J’Accuse, known outside of France as An Officer and a Spy.
After the win was announced, actress Adele Haenel — the star of the film Portrait of a Lady on Fire, who also revealed last year that she had been sexually abused by a director as a child — walked out of the ceremony.
- 3/2/2020
- by Maria Pasquini
- PEOPLE.com
Amid increasing controversy, Roman Polanski has opted not to attend the upcoming French equivalent of the Academy Awards.
On Friday, the 2020 César Awards ceremony will be held in Paris, but the director, 86 — whose film An Officer and a Spy received the most nominations this year — now says he won’t show up to the event so as to avoid what he called an inevitable “public lynching.”
“We know how this evening will unfold already,” Polanski told the Afp news agency in a statement. “Activists are already threatening me with a public lynching, with some saying they are going to protest outside.
On Friday, the 2020 César Awards ceremony will be held in Paris, but the director, 86 — whose film An Officer and a Spy received the most nominations this year — now says he won’t show up to the event so as to avoid what he called an inevitable “public lynching.”
“We know how this evening will unfold already,” Polanski told the Afp news agency in a statement. “Activists are already threatening me with a public lynching, with some saying they are going to protest outside.
- 2/27/2020
- by Benjamin VanHoose
- PEOPLE.com
Holland’s historical drama Charlatan is set to screen next week as a Berlinale Special Gala.
Polish director Agnieszka Holland has criticised the “hypocrisy” shown by those within the film industry who have shunned filmmaker Roman Polanski.
Polnaski’s An Officer And A Spy has been boycotted by distributors in several major territories since new rape accusations against the director surfaced last year. These accusations followed on from the Samantha Geimer case, when Polanski fled the Us in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with the then 13-year-old.
Holland, whose historical drama Charlatan is set to screen next week as a Berlinale Special Gala,...
Polish director Agnieszka Holland has criticised the “hypocrisy” shown by those within the film industry who have shunned filmmaker Roman Polanski.
Polnaski’s An Officer And A Spy has been boycotted by distributors in several major territories since new rape accusations against the director surfaced last year. These accusations followed on from the Samantha Geimer case, when Polanski fled the Us in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with the then 13-year-old.
Holland, whose historical drama Charlatan is set to screen next week as a Berlinale Special Gala,...
- 2/23/2020
- by 57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
The French version of the Oscars is sparking backlash for nominating disgraced director Roman Polanski‘s latest for a whopping 12 awards.
The Césars announced its nominees, with 86-year-old Polanski’s An Officer and a Spy leading the list, including best film and best director. His nominations come 43 years after the director fled the U.S. for France and has lived in exile ever since.
Polanski pleaded guilty to engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1977 after 13-year-old Samantha Geimer accused him of getting her drunk and giving her part of a quaalude.
He served 42 days in jail due to a plea bargain,...
The Césars announced its nominees, with 86-year-old Polanski’s An Officer and a Spy leading the list, including best film and best director. His nominations come 43 years after the director fled the U.S. for France and has lived in exile ever since.
Polanski pleaded guilty to engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1977 after 13-year-old Samantha Geimer accused him of getting her drunk and giving her part of a quaalude.
He served 42 days in jail due to a plea bargain,...
- 1/30/2020
- by Ale Russian
- PEOPLE.com
Roman Polanski has responded to recent allegations of rape against him by French photographer Valentine Monnier, saying, “I obviously have no recollection of what she is talking about because it is false. … I absolutely deny it.”
Monnier last month accused the Oscar-winning director of raping her at his Swiss chalet in 1975. Since then, Polanski’s latest film, An Officer and a Spy, has been released in France, generating a strong $10M in box office — but also protests and calls for a boycott.
In an interview with Paris Match published today — Polanski, who has been living in France since fleeing the U.S. in 1978 before sentencing after pleading guilty to having sex with 13-year-old Samantha Geimer — also was asked about Harvey Weinstein and the origins of the #MeToo movement.
Polanski said he had no ties to Weinstein, whom he had met a handful of times, and was “very surprised by the...
Monnier last month accused the Oscar-winning director of raping her at his Swiss chalet in 1975. Since then, Polanski’s latest film, An Officer and a Spy, has been released in France, generating a strong $10M in box office — but also protests and calls for a boycott.
In an interview with Paris Match published today — Polanski, who has been living in France since fleeing the U.S. in 1978 before sentencing after pleading guilty to having sex with 13-year-old Samantha Geimer — also was asked about Harvey Weinstein and the origins of the #MeToo movement.
Polanski said he had no ties to Weinstein, whom he had met a handful of times, and was “very surprised by the...
- 12/11/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Roman Polanski is facing new accusations of sexual assault.
The 86-year-old director has been accused of raping French actress Valentine Monnier in 1975 when she was 18 years old, according to Le Parisien via The Guardian.
In an interview with the French newspaper, Monnier, now 62, alleged the incident occurred at Polanski’s ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland.
“I had no links with him, neither personal nor professional and hardly knew him,” Monnier said, adding the alleged rape was “extremely violent.”
“He pummelled me until I gave in and then raped me, making me do all sorts of things,” she claimed.
A French lawyer for Polanski,...
The 86-year-old director has been accused of raping French actress Valentine Monnier in 1975 when she was 18 years old, according to Le Parisien via The Guardian.
In an interview with the French newspaper, Monnier, now 62, alleged the incident occurred at Polanski’s ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland.
“I had no links with him, neither personal nor professional and hardly knew him,” Monnier said, adding the alleged rape was “extremely violent.”
“He pummelled me until I gave in and then raped me, making me do all sorts of things,” she claimed.
A French lawyer for Polanski,...
- 11/9/2019
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
In a report published Friday by French daily newspaper Le Parisien, French actress Valentine Monnier accused director Roman Polanski of raping her at Polanksi’s ski chalet in Switzerland in 1975 when she was 18.
Monnier told Le Parisien that the director violently raped her. The newspaper reported that it spoke with several people, who said Monnier told them of the incident shortly after it occurred.
“Rape is a time bomb,” she told the publication. “The memory does not fade. It becomes a ghost and it follows you, and it changes you insidiously.”
IndieWire has reached out to Polanski’s U.S. lawyers for comment.
Monnier said she was moved to speak some four decades after the incident due to the release of Polanski’s latest film, “J’Accuse” (“An Officer and a Spy”), due out in France next week.
The movie won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and earned mostly...
Monnier told Le Parisien that the director violently raped her. The newspaper reported that it spoke with several people, who said Monnier told them of the incident shortly after it occurred.
“Rape is a time bomb,” she told the publication. “The memory does not fade. It becomes a ghost and it follows you, and it changes you insidiously.”
IndieWire has reached out to Polanski’s U.S. lawyers for comment.
Monnier said she was moved to speak some four decades after the incident due to the release of Polanski’s latest film, “J’Accuse” (“An Officer and a Spy”), due out in France next week.
The movie won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and earned mostly...
- 11/8/2019
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
A French actress accused director Roman Polanski on Friday of raping her at a ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, in 1975.
Valentine Monnier told Le Parisien that the director violently raped her when she was 18 years old. The publication also spoke with several people who offered corroboration, saying she had told them of the incident shortly afterward.
Polanski is not facing any legal action in France over this alleged rape since the country has a 20-year statute of limitations. But Monnier said she was moved to speak out now due to the release of Polanski’s latest film, “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’Accuse”), which hits theaters in France next week, where Gaumont will give it a wide release. The movie world premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and earned mostly positive reviews.
“Rape is a time bomb,” she told the publication.
Valentine Monnier told Le Parisien that the director violently raped her when she was 18 years old. The publication also spoke with several people who offered corroboration, saying she had told them of the incident shortly afterward.
Polanski is not facing any legal action in France over this alleged rape since the country has a 20-year statute of limitations. But Monnier said she was moved to speak out now due to the release of Polanski’s latest film, “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’Accuse”), which hits theaters in France next week, where Gaumont will give it a wide release. The movie world premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and earned mostly positive reviews.
“Rape is a time bomb,” she told the publication.
- 11/8/2019
- by Gene Maddaus and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
“I don’t separate the man from the art.” So said Lucrecia Martel, the Argentine filmmaker and president of this year’s Venice Film Festival jury, when asked at a press conference about “J’Accuse (An Officer and a Spy),” the new Roman Polanski film. Martel said she wouldn’t attend a gala dinner in honor of the movie, but staunchly defended the Venice Film Festival’s decision to program it. Nevertheless, what she articulated touched a nerve. In general, I tend to be a die-hard believer in separating the man from the art. But Roman Polanski has made it all but impossible to do so with “An Officer and a Spy.”
The movie, adapted from a 2013 historical novel by Robert Harris, who co-wrote the script with Polanski, is a lavishly scaled, grandly mounted, rigorously true-to-the-facts dramatization of the Dreyfus affair — the fabled and scandalous case, starting in 1894, of the...
The movie, adapted from a 2013 historical novel by Robert Harris, who co-wrote the script with Polanski, is a lavishly scaled, grandly mounted, rigorously true-to-the-facts dramatization of the Dreyfus affair — the fabled and scandalous case, starting in 1894, of the...
- 8/30/2019
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Roman Polanski is opening up about the murder of his wife Sharon Tate in 1969 — and the backlash he felt since then.
In press notes for his latest film J’Accuse at the Venice Film Festival, Polanski, 86, said he felt his “image” was affected negatively after the murder of his then-wife Tate, according to The Wrap. The director will not be attending the festival, according to Deadline.
Polanski remains controversial due to a later crime: In 1977, he was arrested for drugging and raping 13-year-old Samantha Geimer. He pleaded guilty to statutory rape but fled to Europe before completing his sentence. His...
In press notes for his latest film J’Accuse at the Venice Film Festival, Polanski, 86, said he felt his “image” was affected negatively after the murder of his then-wife Tate, according to The Wrap. The director will not be attending the festival, according to Deadline.
Polanski remains controversial due to a later crime: In 1977, he was arrested for drugging and raping 13-year-old Samantha Geimer. He pleaded guilty to statutory rape but fled to Europe before completing his sentence. His...
- 8/29/2019
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
Roman Polanski is returning to the international film circuit this week with the world premiere of his Dreyfus Affair drama “An Officer and a Spy” in competition at the 2019 Venice Film Festival. Polanski’s inclusion at the prestigious festival has been met with backlash given he was charged with the rape of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977. Geimer has publicly forgiven Polanski, but that hasn’t stopped the incident from resurfacing in the #MeToo era. Deadline obtained a copy of the “Officer and a Spy” press notes, which features an interview with Polanski in which he says his “persecution” in the media started nearly a decade before the rape trial with the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate.
“The way people see me, my ‘image’, did indeed start to form with Sharon Tate’s death,” Polanski says. “When it happened, even though I was already going through a terrible time, the...
“The way people see me, my ‘image’, did indeed start to form with Sharon Tate’s death,” Polanski says. “When it happened, even though I was already going through a terrible time, the...
- 8/29/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The 76th Venice Film Festival is only one day old but has already been dominated by talk of director Roman Polanski, whose new movie An Officer And A Spy debuts in Competition tomorrow. The filmmaker won’t be at the festival or doing general press but he has given a strikingly candid, wide-ranging interview for the film’s press notes.
In the interview, 86 year-old Polanski discusses his motivation for making An Officer And A Spy, his experience in the MeToo and Times Up era and the enduring trauma of his wife Sharon Tate’s murder.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Polanski remains a controversial figure due to his arrest in 1977 for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. He pled guilty to the lesser offence of unlawful sex with a minor and served 42 days behind bars but has been a fugitive of the U.S. ever since, having fled the country after learning that...
In the interview, 86 year-old Polanski discusses his motivation for making An Officer And A Spy, his experience in the MeToo and Times Up era and the enduring trauma of his wife Sharon Tate’s murder.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Polanski remains a controversial figure due to his arrest in 1977 for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. He pled guilty to the lesser offence of unlawful sex with a minor and served 42 days behind bars but has been a fugitive of the U.S. ever since, having fled the country after learning that...
- 8/29/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Roman Polanski is making his return to the spotlight a year after his expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over his controversial past.
The Chinatown director will be screening his new film J’Accuse at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival in late August, it was announced Thursday. The premiere will mark his first public appearance at a major film festival since losing his membership to the Academy in May 2018, despite his win for Best Director in 2003 for The Pianist.
The disgraced film director was ousted by the AMPAS Board of Governors after fleeing the United States...
The Chinatown director will be screening his new film J’Accuse at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival in late August, it was announced Thursday. The premiere will mark his first public appearance at a major film festival since losing his membership to the Academy in May 2018, despite his win for Best Director in 2003 for The Pianist.
The disgraced film director was ousted by the AMPAS Board of Governors after fleeing the United States...
- 7/25/2019
- by Matt McNulty
- PEOPLE.com
Quentin Tarantino‘s highly anticipated ninth film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, debuted to a warm reception at its Cannes Film Festival premiere last week, but it has also seen its fair share of controversy.
The film stars Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant with director Roman Polanski’s child when she was brutally killed by members of the Manson Family in 1969.
Polish actor Rafa? Zawierucha plays Polanski in the film, alongside Robbie.
In a French-language Instagram post, translated by Yahoo, Polanski’s current wife Emmanuelle Seigner spoke out against her husband’s inclusion in the movie,...
The film stars Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant with director Roman Polanski’s child when she was brutally killed by members of the Manson Family in 1969.
Polish actor Rafa? Zawierucha plays Polanski in the film, alongside Robbie.
In a French-language Instagram post, translated by Yahoo, Polanski’s current wife Emmanuelle Seigner spoke out against her husband’s inclusion in the movie,...
- 5/28/2019
- by Helen Murphy
- PEOPLE.com
Roman Polanski’s latest feature film, “An Officer and a Spy,” screened at least in part for buyers at the Cannes Film Festival last Saturday morning, a representative for the film’s international sales agent Playtime told TheWrap.
The French-language film, which stars Jean Dujardin and Polanski’s wife Emmanuelle Seigner, is currently in postproduction and wrapped cshooting at the end of April, which Dujardin announced himself via Instagram.
In a fictionalized story based on the true events of the Dreyfus Affair, Dujardin stars as French captain Alfred Dreyfus who in 1894 was wrongly convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island.
Also Read: Cannes Report, Day 8: Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Steals the Show
Playtime is handling international sales on the film, and the French distributor Gaumont already has the French rights, with plans to release the film early in November this year.
The French-language film, which stars Jean Dujardin and Polanski’s wife Emmanuelle Seigner, is currently in postproduction and wrapped cshooting at the end of April, which Dujardin announced himself via Instagram.
In a fictionalized story based on the true events of the Dreyfus Affair, Dujardin stars as French captain Alfred Dreyfus who in 1894 was wrongly convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island.
Also Read: Cannes Report, Day 8: Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Steals the Show
Playtime is handling international sales on the film, and the French distributor Gaumont already has the French rights, with plans to release the film early in November this year.
- 5/22/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Anjelica Huston is coming to the defense of filmmakers Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, and actor Jeffrey Tambor. In a candid interview with Vulture, the actress held court on topics as wide-ranging as beating Oprah for the Oscar in 1986 to Jack Nicholson’s cocaine habits. The interview was supposedly in support of her new movie, “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” Keanu Reeves’ action vehicle in which Huston plays The Director, although many more questions focused on her love life and celebrity friends.
In her long and storied life and career, Huston has overlapped with a fair amount of Hollywood elites, including a few disgraced filmmakers and actors. Huston was famously at Jack Nicholson’s house the day director Roman Polanski raped 13-year-old Samantha Geimer, a crime for which he pleaded guilty to “unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.”
“It’s a story that could’ve happened 10 years before in England or France...
In her long and storied life and career, Huston has overlapped with a fair amount of Hollywood elites, including a few disgraced filmmakers and actors. Huston was famously at Jack Nicholson’s house the day director Roman Polanski raped 13-year-old Samantha Geimer, a crime for which he pleaded guilty to “unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.”
“It’s a story that could’ve happened 10 years before in England or France...
- 5/1/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has responded to a lawsuit filed by director Roman Polanski, saying it stands by its decision to expel the filmmaker last May.
“The procedures taken to expel Mr. Polanski were fair and reasonable. The Academy stands behind its decision as appropriate,” a spokesperson said.
On Friday, Polanski filed a lawsuit that read, “The Academy’s actions, sanctions and decisions against [Polanski] are invalid under Code Civ. Proc. 1094.5 and alternatively Code Civ. Proc. 1085, on the grounds that the Academy failed to grant petitioner any notice and a fair hearing. The Academy committed a prejudicial abuse of discretion in that the Academy failed to proceed in the manner required by law, the Academy’s expulsion decision is not supported by the findings, and the Academy’s findings are not supported by the evidence.”
Also Read: Roman Polanski Sues Motion Picture Academy Over 2018 Expulsion
Last May...
“The procedures taken to expel Mr. Polanski were fair and reasonable. The Academy stands behind its decision as appropriate,” a spokesperson said.
On Friday, Polanski filed a lawsuit that read, “The Academy’s actions, sanctions and decisions against [Polanski] are invalid under Code Civ. Proc. 1094.5 and alternatively Code Civ. Proc. 1085, on the grounds that the Academy failed to grant petitioner any notice and a fair hearing. The Academy committed a prejudicial abuse of discretion in that the Academy failed to proceed in the manner required by law, the Academy’s expulsion decision is not supported by the findings, and the Academy’s findings are not supported by the evidence.”
Also Read: Roman Polanski Sues Motion Picture Academy Over 2018 Expulsion
Last May...
- 4/19/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Roman Polanski has filed a lawsuit against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after the organization expelled him last May.
“The Academy’s actions, sanctions and decisions against [Polanski] are invalid under Code Civ. Proc. 1094.5 and alternatively Code Civ. Proc. 1085, on the grounds that the Academy failed to grant petitioner any notice and a fair hearing,” the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, reads.
“The Academy committed a prejudicial abuse of discretion in that the Academy failed to proceed in the manner required by law, the Academy’s expulsion decision is not supported by the findings, and the Academy’s findings are not supported by the evidence,” the suit continues.
Also Read: Film Academy Expels Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby
Last May the Academy voted to expel both Polanski and Bill Cosby after the latter was convicted of aggravated indecent assault. The Academy said at the time...
“The Academy’s actions, sanctions and decisions against [Polanski] are invalid under Code Civ. Proc. 1094.5 and alternatively Code Civ. Proc. 1085, on the grounds that the Academy failed to grant petitioner any notice and a fair hearing,” the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, reads.
“The Academy committed a prejudicial abuse of discretion in that the Academy failed to proceed in the manner required by law, the Academy’s expulsion decision is not supported by the findings, and the Academy’s findings are not supported by the evidence,” the suit continues.
Also Read: Film Academy Expels Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby
Last May the Academy voted to expel both Polanski and Bill Cosby after the latter was convicted of aggravated indecent assault. The Academy said at the time...
- 4/19/2019
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
The news that Roman Polanski not only has a new movie in the works but that it reportedly concerns a man accused of a crime he didn’t commit has received an expectedly mixed reaction. Esquire wrote about the film’s place (or lack thereof) in the #MeToo era, which didn’t sit well with at least one person: Samantha Geimer, whom the filmmaker was found guilty of having sex with in 1977, when she was 13 years old.
“Roman hardly need a #MeToo comeback. This is all you’ve got Esquire, attacking a man who has apologize and made amends years ago?” she tweeted.
“Pleaded guilty served his time,” Geimer continued. “Abused along with his ‘victim’ by the same insane judge. I’ve grown up, why can’t everyone else.” Geimer’s Twitter profile notes that she’s been “fighting losing battles since 1977.”
Geimer has made similar comments in the past,...
“Roman hardly need a #MeToo comeback. This is all you’ve got Esquire, attacking a man who has apologize and made amends years ago?” she tweeted.
“Pleaded guilty served his time,” Geimer continued. “Abused along with his ‘victim’ by the same insane judge. I’ve grown up, why can’t everyone else.” Geimer’s Twitter profile notes that she’s been “fighting losing battles since 1977.”
Geimer has made similar comments in the past,...
- 9/30/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Roman Polanski apparently has something to say about a man being wrongfully convicted of a crime. The infamous director has started production on his next film “J’accuse,” his first project in the #MeToo era.
The film tells the story of the Dreyfus Affair, a political scandal in which Jewish French captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully convicted of treason in 1894, and sentenced to life imprisonment at Devil’s island.
Polanski, a French-Polish filmmaker, fled the U.S. in 1977 after pleading guilty to the statutory rape of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977. He was imprisoned for 42 days, after which he was released and put on probation as part of a plea bargain. When Polanski learned the judge planned to revoke the plea deal, the director fled to Paris before the sentencing.
Also Read: Roman Polanski Loses Bid to Have Sexual Assault Case Tossed
Since the accusations and revelations of roughly 30 years of...
The film tells the story of the Dreyfus Affair, a political scandal in which Jewish French captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully convicted of treason in 1894, and sentenced to life imprisonment at Devil’s island.
Polanski, a French-Polish filmmaker, fled the U.S. in 1977 after pleading guilty to the statutory rape of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977. He was imprisoned for 42 days, after which he was released and put on probation as part of a plea bargain. When Polanski learned the judge planned to revoke the plea deal, the director fled to Paris before the sentencing.
Also Read: Roman Polanski Loses Bid to Have Sexual Assault Case Tossed
Since the accusations and revelations of roughly 30 years of...
- 9/28/2018
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
French actress Emmanuelle Seigner will not join the Academy’s 2018 class, instead choosing to show solidarity with her husband, Roman Polanski. As a repercussion of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movement, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted to expel the director on May 1. He pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, and has not set foot in the United States since.
Through his lawyer, Polanski threatened the Academy with a lawsuit while announcing his intention to appeal the ruling. Seigner — twice-nominated for France’s highest film honor, the César Award — co-starred in her husband’s most recent film, “D’après une histoire vraie” (“Based on a True Story”), with Eva Green. The couple has been married for 29 years and shares two children. Polanski’s previous wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by members of Charles Manson’s cult in 1969, a tragedy that will be revisited in...
Through his lawyer, Polanski threatened the Academy with a lawsuit while announcing his intention to appeal the ruling. Seigner — twice-nominated for France’s highest film honor, the César Award — co-starred in her husband’s most recent film, “D’après une histoire vraie” (“Based on a True Story”), with Eva Green. The couple has been married for 29 years and shares two children. Polanski’s previous wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by members of Charles Manson’s cult in 1969, a tragedy that will be revisited in...
- 7/9/2018
- by Jenna Marotta
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences invited 928 entertainment industry professionals to join and while many were celebrating their invitation to the ever-changing Academy which is looking to be more inclusive, there is one invitee that didn’t want to jump on board: Emmanuelle Seigner.
Seigner, who is the wife of disgraced director Roman Polanski, was invited to join the Academy and responded with an incendiary letter that dragged the organization calling the invite an “offensive proposal” in an open letter that was posted in the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly actress did not hold back in the letter saying, “The Academy probably thinks I am enough of a spineless, social climbing actress that I would forget that I have been married for the past 29 years to one of the world’s greatest directors.”
She says that Polanski has been “cast out like...
Seigner, who is the wife of disgraced director Roman Polanski, was invited to join the Academy and responded with an incendiary letter that dragged the organization calling the invite an “offensive proposal” in an open letter that was posted in the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly actress did not hold back in the letter saying, “The Academy probably thinks I am enough of a spineless, social climbing actress that I would forget that I have been married for the past 29 years to one of the world’s greatest directors.”
She says that Polanski has been “cast out like...
- 7/8/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress publicly rejects invitation accusing academy of “hypocrisy”.
French actress Emmanuelle Seigner has publicly rejected an invitation from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Scientists (AMPAS) to become a member of the prestigious institute which expelled her husband Roman Polanski earlier this year in connection with sexual abuse allegations.
In an open letter published in French Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, the actress described AMPAS’s invitation as an “insulting proposal” and accused the institution of “hypocrisy”.
Oscar-winning director Polanski, Seigner’s husband of 29-years, was officially expelled from the Academy in May in connection with charges of...
French actress Emmanuelle Seigner has publicly rejected an invitation from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Scientists (AMPAS) to become a member of the prestigious institute which expelled her husband Roman Polanski earlier this year in connection with sexual abuse allegations.
In an open letter published in French Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, the actress described AMPAS’s invitation as an “insulting proposal” and accused the institution of “hypocrisy”.
Oscar-winning director Polanski, Seigner’s husband of 29-years, was officially expelled from the Academy in May in connection with charges of...
- 7/8/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Actress publicly rejects invitation accusing academy of “hypocrisy”.
French actress Emmanuelle Seigner has publicly rejected an invitation from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Scientists (AMPAS) to become a member of the prestigious institute which expelled her husband Roman Polanski earlier this year in connection with sexual abuse allegations.
In an open letter published in French Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, the actress described AMPAS’s invitation as an “insulting proposal” and accused the institution of “hypocrisy”.
Oscar-winning director Polanski, Seigner’s husband of 29-years, was officially expelled from the Academy in May in connection with charges of...
French actress Emmanuelle Seigner has publicly rejected an invitation from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Scientists (AMPAS) to become a member of the prestigious institute which expelled her husband Roman Polanski earlier this year in connection with sexual abuse allegations.
In an open letter published in French Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, the actress described AMPAS’s invitation as an “insulting proposal” and accused the institution of “hypocrisy”.
Oscar-winning director Polanski, Seigner’s husband of 29-years, was officially expelled from the Academy in May in connection with charges of...
- 7/8/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Roman Polanski considers the #MeToo Movement an example of "mass hysteria." The 84-year-old director, who famously fled the United States over suspicion of an additional prison sentence after pleading guilty in 1977 to unlawful sexual intercourse with a then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer, has spoken out against the prominent movement that has exposed sexual misconduct in major industries, including Hollywood. In a polish interview with Newsweek Polska, the Rosemary's Baby director described the #MeToo Movement as an example of "mass hysteria" that can happen in society, like McCarthyism in the United States or the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in France, according...
- 5/9/2018
- E! Online
Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski is taking aim at the #MeToo movement that sheds light on sexual misconduct, blasting it as “collective hysteria” and “total hypocrisy.”
Speaking to the Polish edition of Newsweek days before he was ousted from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences along with Bill Cosby, Polanski made his opinion of #MeToo clear.
“It seems to me it’s collective hysteria, of the type which happens in societies from time to time,” the 84-year-old said, according to the Agence France-Presse. “Everyone is trying to back this movement, mainly out of fear,” the 84-year-old said.”
His comments...
Speaking to the Polish edition of Newsweek days before he was ousted from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences along with Bill Cosby, Polanski made his opinion of #MeToo clear.
“It seems to me it’s collective hysteria, of the type which happens in societies from time to time,” the 84-year-old said, according to the Agence France-Presse. “Everyone is trying to back this movement, mainly out of fear,” the 84-year-old said.”
His comments...
- 5/9/2018
- by Nigel Smith, Peter Mikelbank
- PEOPLE.com
Roman Polanski, who was recently expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has called the #MeToo movement “total hypocrisy” and a “collective hysteria.”
According to the Associated Press, the Oscar-winning filmmaker made the comment to Newsweek Polska days before the Academy expelled him in accordance with the organization’s Standard of Conduct. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation who spoke with TheWrap, the board was motivated in part by the fact that both Cosby and Polanski had been convicted of sexually related crimes in U.S. courts.
The Newsweek interview published this week.
Also Read: Roman Polanski Threatens Academy With Legal Action Over 'Illegal Expulsion'
In the interview, Polanski said #MeToo is a “collective hysteria of the kind that sometimes happens in the society. Everyone is trying to sign up, chiefly out of fear.”
He added, “To me this is total hypocrisy.”
Polanski was expelled 15 years after his film “The Pianist” took home Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor at the 75th Academy Awards. The film was nominated for Best Picture, but lost to “Chicago.”
Also Read: Roman Polanski 'Blindsided' by Expulsion From Movie Academy, Plans to Appeal
On Tuesday, Polanski’s attorney Harland Braun threatened legal action if the Academy “refuses to follow its own rules” in regards to the “illegal expulsion” of the filmmaker from the Academy.
Polanski was arrested and charged with raping 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977. He pled guilty and was imprisoned for 42 days, after which he was released and put on probation as part of a plea bargain. When Polanski learned that a judge was planning to revoke the plea deal, the director fled Paris before the sentencing.
Read original story Roman Polanski Says #MeToo Movement Is ‘Total Hypocrisy’ At TheWrap...
According to the Associated Press, the Oscar-winning filmmaker made the comment to Newsweek Polska days before the Academy expelled him in accordance with the organization’s Standard of Conduct. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation who spoke with TheWrap, the board was motivated in part by the fact that both Cosby and Polanski had been convicted of sexually related crimes in U.S. courts.
The Newsweek interview published this week.
Also Read: Roman Polanski Threatens Academy With Legal Action Over 'Illegal Expulsion'
In the interview, Polanski said #MeToo is a “collective hysteria of the kind that sometimes happens in the society. Everyone is trying to sign up, chiefly out of fear.”
He added, “To me this is total hypocrisy.”
Polanski was expelled 15 years after his film “The Pianist” took home Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor at the 75th Academy Awards. The film was nominated for Best Picture, but lost to “Chicago.”
Also Read: Roman Polanski 'Blindsided' by Expulsion From Movie Academy, Plans to Appeal
On Tuesday, Polanski’s attorney Harland Braun threatened legal action if the Academy “refuses to follow its own rules” in regards to the “illegal expulsion” of the filmmaker from the Academy.
Polanski was arrested and charged with raping 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977. He pled guilty and was imprisoned for 42 days, after which he was released and put on probation as part of a plea bargain. When Polanski learned that a judge was planning to revoke the plea deal, the director fled Paris before the sentencing.
Read original story Roman Polanski Says #MeToo Movement Is ‘Total Hypocrisy’ At TheWrap...
- 5/9/2018
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
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