Roman Polanski Wins Best Director Award

Roman Polanski (76) won the Silver Beat best director award for The Ghost Writer starring Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall, and Olivia Williams.

Alain Sarde, producer of The Ghost Writer, accepted the award for Polanski, saying:

"I am sure Roman will be very happy."

"However, when I was lamenting with him that he cannot be with us, he said to me, ’Even if I could, I wouldn’t because the last time I went to a festival to get a prize, I ended up in jail.’ "

Polanski is currently under house arrest in his villa in Gstaad, Switzerland while the Swiss justice system considers the legalities of his extradition to the United States over his conviction of having sex with a minor in 1977.

Ewan McGregor was asked for his opinion on Polanski’s legal troubles by George Stephanopoulos, and Ewan said in part:

"… It has nothing to do with me… It’s none of my business."

There are plenty of good directors who could have made this film, but for some reason, Polanski was chosen, maybe because he works relatively cheap because of his legal dilema, yet he also produces award winning quality movies.

Hollywood appears to believe that talented people like Polanski should not have their talent locked away from the world in a jail cell, unless they do something really bad.

Was Polanski’s crime worth locking him up for life? Do you agree with Hollywood’s decision to keep working with Polanski?