Roman Polanski, in the news since his arrest in Switzerland last September and currently fighting extradition to the United States, received the Silver Bear for Best Director for the political thriller The Ghost Writer.
In The Ghost Writer, Ewan McGregor has the title role, becoming involved with a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan, above, based on Tony Blair), who has more than a few skeletons in his past, and is accused of war crimes for his devoted support of U.S. military policies in Iraq. Polanski finished The Ghost Writer while under house arrest at his home in Gstaad. The 76-year-old filmmaker, who won a Best Director Oscar in early 2003 for the Holocaust drama The Pianist, fled the US the day before he was going to be sentenced for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
The Ghost Writer producers Alain Sarde and Robert Benmussa accepted the award for Polanski. Sarde told the festival audience that the Polish filmmaker wouldn't have come regardless of his current circumstances “because the last time I traveled to accept an award I landed in jail.” (Polanski was arrested upon arriving in Switzerland to accept a lifetime achievement award from the Zurich Film Festival.)
This is Polanski's second major Berlin Festival win. In 1966, his psychological drama Cul-de-sac was given the Golden Bear.
Photo: Courtesy of the Berlin Film Festival
Great win and fully deserved.See you in Gstaad Roman!
Gratulacje, Panie Romanie!
Zasluguje Pan na te nagrode,jak i na wiele innych w przeszlosci,a pominietych.
Ktos musi bardo pana nie lubiec ..lub byc bardzo zazdrosnym..?
Jestem z Panem i zaluje,ze nie moge nic zrobic przeciwko temu spiskowi.
Polityka i obluda z niz zwiazana to najgorsza rzecz,-.
Niech zyje sztuka!
Pokoj,
Malgosia
That's pretty great to win best director at a huge film festival at 76 years old! Great work can't be denied. It is the film as a whole that helps to make a director.