Roman Polanski, in his native Poland to pick up an award and present his new drama, “An Officer and a Spy,” canceled a lecture Saturday at his alma mater after some students and employees at the film school in Lodz took to social media and launched an online petition against his scheduled appearance.
“Like any other educational institution, our film school should be the place where sexual violence is condemned,” the petition said, noting that the filmmaker has been accused of multiple incidents of sexual misconduct. He pleaded guilty to statutory rape in California but fled the U.S. in 1978 before his sentencing.
Polanski graduated from the Lodz film school in 1959 and later received an honorary doctorate. But some opponents of his planned appearance Saturday vowed to do everything in their power to prevent him from even entering the building and pressed ahead with a protest even after Polanski canceled.
“Like any other educational institution, our film school should be the place where sexual violence is condemned,” the petition said, noting that the filmmaker has been accused of multiple incidents of sexual misconduct. He pleaded guilty to statutory rape in California but fled the U.S. in 1978 before his sentencing.
Polanski graduated from the Lodz film school in 1959 and later received an honorary doctorate. But some opponents of his planned appearance Saturday vowed to do everything in their power to prevent him from even entering the building and pressed ahead with a protest even after Polanski canceled.
- 11/30/2019
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.