In a move that was largely regarded as a vote of support as much as a recognition of achievement, the Berlin Film Festival (the Berlinale) on Saturday accorded its top Silver Bear Award to Roman Polanski for his recently released The Ghost Writer. Polanski was not on hand to receive it since he is presently under house arrest at his chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland. Instead, it was accepted by the film's producer, Alan Sarde, who recalled that when he talked to Polanski about the possibility of receiving it, the director observed, "The last time I went to a festival to get a prize, I ended up in jail." He was referring to his arrest by Swiss authorities last September when he traveled to Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award. Swiss authorities have said they will not decide whether to extradite Polanski to the U.S. until the director has exhausted the appeals process over his 1977 conviction in a case involving unlawful sex with a minor. On Sunday, the Berlin tabloid B.Z. am Sonntag editorially condemned the award to Polanski, calling it a scandal that "leaves a nasty aftertaste and does lasting damage to the festival." Polanski's award overshadowed the surprise win of the Turkish film Honey ( Bal) by director Semih Kaplanoglu, which was voted the Golden Bear Award as best film. Honey stars then-seven-year-old Bora Altas, now eight, who earlier in the week charmed reporters at a press conference as he sat on stage looking profoundly bored, clutching a teddy bear.

22/02/2010