Roman Polanski win prompts walkouts from ‘disgusted’ actors at French awards ceremony
An award ceremony considered France’s equivalent to the Oscars prompted walkouts after awarding Roman Polanski with Best Director.
The filmmaker was convicted of statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977, and the César Awards made headlines after nominating his latest film An Officer and a Spy 12 times.
Polanski also faces other sexual assault accusations., including the rape of Valentine Monnier when she was 18-years-old.
Following the announcement he had won, actor Adele Haenel stood up and left the room, reportedly shouting the word “shame” before doing so.
Céline Sciamma, who directed Haenel in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, followed suit alongside the ceremony’s host Florence Foresti, who refused to return to the stage after Polanski had won.
She later posted a story to her instagram of a blank screen with the word “disgusted”.
Ahead of the ceremony, protestors gathered outside the Parisian venue Salle Pleyel, with France’s Culture Minister Franck Riester stating it would be “symbolically bad” for Polanski to win Best Director.
Polanski did not attend the event. The film controversially won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in September 2019.
Last year, Haenel came forward with her own experience of sexual misconduct after accusing director Christophe Ruggia of sexually harassing her from the ages of 12-15.
