Maybe the film festival wasn’t such a good idea.
76-year-old director Roman Polanski was supposed to be honored at a Swiss film festival this week.
Instead, he was arrested as soon as he landed at Zurich airport. He’s still officially a wanted man in the United States, and the Swiss have an extradition treaty with the U.S.
Polanski fled America in 1977, after he was charged with having sex with a 13-year-old girl. He actually spent 42 days in a Los Angeles jail and was supposed to have reached a plea agreement, but when a judge threatened to blow up the agreement, Polanski left the country. He has never returned to the U.S. and has avoided countries where he might be picked up on the charges.
Until now.
The Zurich Film Festival says it will still show Polanski’s films, but has postponed “A Tribute to Roman Polanski Night.”