Roman Polanski was cleared of defamation charges in France in a case tied to a rape allegation brought by the British actress Charlotte Lewis.
As The New York Times reports, Lewis accused Polanski of raping her in 1983, when she was 16, during a casting session for the film Pirates at his home in Paris (Lewis later appeared in the film). In a 2019 interview with the French magazine Paris Match, Polanski denied Lewis’ allegation, calling it an “odious lie”; he also brought up an old 1999 tabloid interview in which Lewis spoke positively about him.
As The New York Times reports, Lewis accused Polanski of raping her in 1983, when she was 16, during a casting session for the film Pirates at his home in Paris (Lewis later appeared in the film). In a 2019 interview with the French magazine Paris Match, Polanski denied Lewis’ allegation, calling it an “odious lie”; he also brought up an old 1999 tabloid interview in which Lewis spoke positively about him.
- 5/14/2024
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
A French court has acquitted filmmaker Roman Polanski of defamation charges brought by British actor Charlotte Lewis, who’d claimed that he raped her when she was a child, the New York Times has reported.
Lewis, now 56, had accused the now 90-year-old filmmaker of sexually assaulting her when she was 16, during a casting session at his Paris home. The French court was not ruling on that accusation. Instead, it was dealing with a 2019 interview with French magazine Paris Match in which Polanski had dismissed Lewis’ accusation of being a “heinous lie.” The court ruled on whether Polanski had overstepped the bounds of free speech by dismissing her account of the alleged events.
The trial kicked off in March, when the Franco-Polish filmmaker was sued by Lewis, who claimed he defamed her in the interview. Lewis first came forward with her allegations against Polanski in 2010.
During her defamation case testimony, Lewis,...
Lewis, now 56, had accused the now 90-year-old filmmaker of sexually assaulting her when she was 16, during a casting session at his Paris home. The French court was not ruling on that accusation. Instead, it was dealing with a 2019 interview with French magazine Paris Match in which Polanski had dismissed Lewis’ accusation of being a “heinous lie.” The court ruled on whether Polanski had overstepped the bounds of free speech by dismissing her account of the alleged events.
The trial kicked off in March, when the Franco-Polish filmmaker was sued by Lewis, who claimed he defamed her in the interview. Lewis first came forward with her allegations against Polanski in 2010.
During her defamation case testimony, Lewis,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Currently on trial in France for decrying the sexual assault claims from actress Charlotte Lewis, Roman Polanski now finds himself facing a trial next year in the United States over allegations of raping a minor in 1973.
The Oscar winning director is set to face American justice starting on August 4, 2025, plaintiff’s lawyer Gloria Allred revealed in a press conference today.
With Jane Doe (previously identified under a shortened version of her name in 2017) sitting by her side Tuesday, Allred also stated that 90-year-old Polanski received papers in the case recently at his home in Paris from a “process server.” After that, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge assigned the date on March 8, the famed advocate attorney stated.
A longtime fugitive from American justice and almost certain not to appear in court in Los Angeles, Polanski sitting for a deposition in the case is still a bit of an unknown, Allred says.
The Oscar winning director is set to face American justice starting on August 4, 2025, plaintiff’s lawyer Gloria Allred revealed in a press conference today.
With Jane Doe (previously identified under a shortened version of her name in 2017) sitting by her side Tuesday, Allred also stated that 90-year-old Polanski received papers in the case recently at his home in Paris from a “process server.” After that, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge assigned the date on March 8, the famed advocate attorney stated.
A longtime fugitive from American justice and almost certain not to appear in court in Los Angeles, Polanski sitting for a deposition in the case is still a bit of an unknown, Allred says.
- 3/12/2024
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
A defamation trial against controversial director Roman Polanski is underway in Paris.
The 90-year-old Franco-Polish filmmaker is being sued by British actor Charlotte Lewis, who is claiming he defamed her by calling her sexual assault allegations against him a “heinous lie” in a 2019 interview with Paris Match magazine.
Lewis first came forward with her allegations against Polanski in 2010, alleging that the director had sexually assaulted her in Paris in 1983, when she was 16 years old. Lewis said she had traveled to Paris for a casting call, and she later appeared in Polanski’s 1986 movie “Pirates.”
Polanski has been accused of sexual assault by several women, beginning in 1977 when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting 13-year-old Samantha Gailey. He entered a plea bargain and plead guilty to one charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, later fleeing the U.S. and continuing his career in Europe. He remains a fugitive from the U.
The 90-year-old Franco-Polish filmmaker is being sued by British actor Charlotte Lewis, who is claiming he defamed her by calling her sexual assault allegations against him a “heinous lie” in a 2019 interview with Paris Match magazine.
Lewis first came forward with her allegations against Polanski in 2010, alleging that the director had sexually assaulted her in Paris in 1983, when she was 16 years old. Lewis said she had traveled to Paris for a casting call, and she later appeared in Polanski’s 1986 movie “Pirates.”
Polanski has been accused of sexual assault by several women, beginning in 1977 when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting 13-year-old Samantha Gailey. He entered a plea bargain and plead guilty to one charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, later fleeing the U.S. and continuing his career in Europe. He remains a fugitive from the U.
- 3/5/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Roman Polanski has officially denied a woman’s accusation that the director sexually assaulted her at his home in 1973 after plying her with tequila both there and at a restaurant while knowing she was a minor at the time.
In court papers filed Oct. 20 with Santa Monica Superior Court Judge H. Jay Ford III, the 90-year-old director’s attorney cites multiple defenses, including violation of the statute of limitations, that the plaintiff’s damages are based on guesswork, speculation and conjecture and that the woman accuses Polanski of a crime, sexual battery, that did not become law until 1990.
The Oscar-winner’s attorney asks that plaintiff Jane Doe’s case be dismissed “with prejudice” – meaning it could not be refiled – and that the plaintiff “take nothing” from Polanski.
According to the suit filed June 16 and amended July 11, Doe met Polanski at a party in 1973, the year he would film Chinatown. The...
In court papers filed Oct. 20 with Santa Monica Superior Court Judge H. Jay Ford III, the 90-year-old director’s attorney cites multiple defenses, including violation of the statute of limitations, that the plaintiff’s damages are based on guesswork, speculation and conjecture and that the woman accuses Polanski of a crime, sexual battery, that did not become law until 1990.
The Oscar-winner’s attorney asks that plaintiff Jane Doe’s case be dismissed “with prejudice” – meaning it could not be refiled – and that the plaintiff “take nothing” from Polanski.
According to the suit filed June 16 and amended July 11, Doe met Polanski at a party in 1973, the year he would film Chinatown. The...
- 11/1/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
A newly unsealed court transcript appears to support claims that the judge who oversaw Roman Polanski’s case broke promises related to the disgraced director’s sentencing, The Associated Press reports. Polanski admitted having sex with a 13-year-old in 1977.
The transcript comes from closed-door testimony given by former Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson in 2010 about the conduct of the now-deceased Judge Laurence Rittenband. According to Gunson, Rittenband told both him and Polanski’s lawyer that the director would get a slightly longer sentence than he’d originally been promised. This,...
The transcript comes from closed-door testimony given by former Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson in 2010 about the conduct of the now-deceased Judge Laurence Rittenband. According to Gunson, Rittenband told both him and Polanski’s lawyer that the director would get a slightly longer sentence than he’d originally been promised. This,...
- 7/18/2022
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
As a contentious edition of France’s Cesar awards wrapped, Roman Polanski won best director prompting numerous walkouts such as nominee Adele Haenel, star of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.”
Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables” won best picture as well as the people’s choice prize, best male newcomer (for Alexis Manenti) and best editing.
Neither Polanski nor the cast and crew of “An Officer And A Spy” (“J’accuse”) was on hand at the awards ceremony hosted at the Salle Pleyel in Paris on Friday. Polanski said on Thursday that he would skip the celebration to avoid being “lynched,” but that didn’t prevent a protest by more than 100 people that was staged in front the venue by the advocacy group Osez le Feminisme.
Since bowing at Cannes Film Festival where it won the jury prize, “Les Miserables” went on to win a Goya Award, and was nominated for...
Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables” won best picture as well as the people’s choice prize, best male newcomer (for Alexis Manenti) and best editing.
Neither Polanski nor the cast and crew of “An Officer And A Spy” (“J’accuse”) was on hand at the awards ceremony hosted at the Salle Pleyel in Paris on Friday. Polanski said on Thursday that he would skip the celebration to avoid being “lynched,” but that didn’t prevent a protest by more than 100 people that was staged in front the venue by the advocacy group Osez le Feminisme.
Since bowing at Cannes Film Festival where it won the jury prize, “Les Miserables” went on to win a Goya Award, and was nominated for...
- 2/28/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
French filmmaker Christophe Ruggia has been detained and questioned by police investigators over accusations made by actress Adele Haenel.
As reported in November, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire actress Haenel stated that The Devils director Ruggia sexually harassed her from the age of 12 after being cast in one of his films. She initially said she would not pursue legal action as she believed “justice ignores” victims in her situation, but reversed this decision and filed an official police complaint later that month.
Paris prosecutors opened an initial investigation last year, and this week they detained and questioned Ruggia on accusations of sexual assault and harassment of a minor by a person in authority, according to reports in Afp and French network Lci television.
Ruggia initially responded by denying any wrongdoing, but has since asked Haenel to forgive him for his conduct. He was expelled from French directors’ guild Srf in response to the allegation.
As reported in November, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire actress Haenel stated that The Devils director Ruggia sexually harassed her from the age of 12 after being cast in one of his films. She initially said she would not pursue legal action as she believed “justice ignores” victims in her situation, but reversed this decision and filed an official police complaint later that month.
Paris prosecutors opened an initial investigation last year, and this week they detained and questioned Ruggia on accusations of sexual assault and harassment of a minor by a person in authority, according to reports in Afp and French network Lci television.
Ruggia initially responded by denying any wrongdoing, but has since asked Haenel to forgive him for his conduct. He was expelled from French directors’ guild Srf in response to the allegation.
- 1/14/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Following the recent accusations against the filmmakers Christophe Ruggia and Roman Polanski, France is having a third belated #metoo moment with the scandal surrounding Gabriel Matzneff, a French writer who’s been critically revered even though he’s bragged about having sex with teenagers for four decades.
Matzneff, now 83, is the author of “Under 16 Years Old,” among his many books promoting sex with minors. He just wrote a new book, “The Lover at the Arsenal,” published by the leading French publishing house Gallimard.
Gallimard has now pulled all of Matzneff’s books, including his latest, according to media reports.
The scandal erupted immediately after the publication on Jan. 2 of “The Consent,” a book written by Vanessa Springora, who recounts how she was manipulated by V., a powerful man in his 50s, when she met him at the age of 14 and got involved with him. She also recounts her disillusionment when...
Matzneff, now 83, is the author of “Under 16 Years Old,” among his many books promoting sex with minors. He just wrote a new book, “The Lover at the Arsenal,” published by the leading French publishing house Gallimard.
Gallimard has now pulled all of Matzneff’s books, including his latest, according to media reports.
The scandal erupted immediately after the publication on Jan. 2 of “The Consent,” a book written by Vanessa Springora, who recounts how she was manipulated by V., a powerful man in his 50s, when she met him at the age of 14 and got involved with him. She also recounts her disillusionment when...
- 1/7/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
France's Oscar submission Les Misérables on Tuesday led the Lumiere Award nominations, with seven including for best film, director and screenplay for first-time helmer Ladj Ly. The film topped the nomination numbers with two mentions in the best new actor category.
Roman Polanski's An Officer and a Spy earned five nods amidst calls from a coalition of film industry professionals and activists to rescind his European Film Award nominations. French feminists have called for a boycott of the pic and led protests at theaters around the country after actress Valentine Monnier came forward with a new accusation of rape in ...
Roman Polanski's An Officer and a Spy earned five nods amidst calls from a coalition of film industry professionals and activists to rescind his European Film Award nominations. French feminists have called for a boycott of the pic and led protests at theaters around the country after actress Valentine Monnier came forward with a new accusation of rape in ...
France's Oscar submission Les Misérables on Tuesday led the Lumiere Award nominations, with seven including for best film, director and screenplay for first-time helmer Ladj Ly. The film topped the nomination numbers with two mentions in the best new actor category.
Roman Polanski's An Officer and a Spy earned five nods amidst calls from a coalition of film industry professionals and activists to rescind his European Film Award nominations. French feminists have called for a boycott of the pic and led protests at theaters around the country after actress Valentine Monnier came forward with a new accusation of rape in ...
Roman Polanski's An Officer and a Spy earned five nods amidst calls from a coalition of film industry professionals and activists to rescind his European Film Award nominations. French feminists have called for a boycott of the pic and led protests at theaters around the country after actress Valentine Monnier came forward with a new accusation of rape in ...
Roman Polanski has responded to recent allegations of rape against him by French photographer Valentine Monnier, saying, “I obviously have no recollection of what she is talking about because it is false. … I absolutely deny it.”
Monnier last month accused the Oscar-winning director of raping her at his Swiss chalet in 1975. Since then, Polanski’s latest film, An Officer and a Spy, has been released in France, generating a strong $10M in box office — but also protests and calls for a boycott.
In an interview with Paris Match published today — Polanski, who has been living in France since fleeing the U.S. in 1978 before sentencing after pleading guilty to having sex with 13-year-old Samantha Geimer — also was asked about Harvey Weinstein and the origins of the #MeToo movement.
Polanski said he had no ties to Weinstein, whom he had met a handful of times, and was “very surprised by the...
Monnier last month accused the Oscar-winning director of raping her at his Swiss chalet in 1975. Since then, Polanski’s latest film, An Officer and a Spy, has been released in France, generating a strong $10M in box office — but also protests and calls for a boycott.
In an interview with Paris Match published today — Polanski, who has been living in France since fleeing the U.S. in 1978 before sentencing after pleading guilty to having sex with 13-year-old Samantha Geimer — also was asked about Harvey Weinstein and the origins of the #MeToo movement.
Polanski said he had no ties to Weinstein, whom he had met a handful of times, and was “very surprised by the...
- 12/11/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Yorgos Lanthimos’s “The Favourite” scooped the 32nd European Film Awards, winning best film, best comedy and best actress for Olivia Colman who previously won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Queen Anne in the film.
“The Favourite” was leading the nominations along with Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory,” Marco Bellocchio’s “The Traitor” and Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and A Spy.”
Lanthimos’s tragicomedy had already banked four craft prizes – cinematography, editing, costume design, and hair and makeup.
“Pain and Glory” won best actor for Antonio Banderas, who previously won best actor at Cannes. Ladj Ly’s police brutality drama “Les Miserables,” which won the jury prize at Cannes and is representing France at the Oscars, won the European Discovery award.
Meanwhile, Celine Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” won the European Screenwriter prize. Sciamma, who had won the screenwriting award at Cannes, said...
“The Favourite” was leading the nominations along with Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory,” Marco Bellocchio’s “The Traitor” and Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and A Spy.”
Lanthimos’s tragicomedy had already banked four craft prizes – cinematography, editing, costume design, and hair and makeup.
“Pain and Glory” won best actor for Antonio Banderas, who previously won best actor at Cannes. Ladj Ly’s police brutality drama “Les Miserables,” which won the jury prize at Cannes and is representing France at the Oscars, won the European Discovery award.
Meanwhile, Celine Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” won the European Screenwriter prize. Sciamma, who had won the screenwriting award at Cannes, said...
- 12/7/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Already vying for six European Film Awards, Roman Polanski’s ‘An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) is nominated for five Lumieres Awards, the French prizes given by Paris-based members of the foreign press.
The period film, which won the Silver Prize at the Venice Film Festival, is nominated for best film, director, actor (for Oscar-winning Jean Dujardin), script and cinematography.
While Polanski has been at the heart of a widespread backlash following the rape accusation made by the former actress Valentine Monnier last month, “An Officer and a Spy” has been highly successful at the French box office since opening on Nov. 13 and is now nearing 1 million tickets sold.
The movie tells the true story of counter-espionage officer Georges Picquart, who defied orders and embarked on a compromising mission to clear the name of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a promising French-Jewish officer who was unfairly accused of spying for Germany in the late 1890s.
The period film, which won the Silver Prize at the Venice Film Festival, is nominated for best film, director, actor (for Oscar-winning Jean Dujardin), script and cinematography.
While Polanski has been at the heart of a widespread backlash following the rape accusation made by the former actress Valentine Monnier last month, “An Officer and a Spy” has been highly successful at the French box office since opening on Nov. 13 and is now nearing 1 million tickets sold.
The movie tells the true story of counter-espionage officer Georges Picquart, who defied orders and embarked on a compromising mission to clear the name of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a promising French-Jewish officer who was unfairly accused of spying for Germany in the late 1890s.
- 12/3/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
France's Oscar submission Les Miserables led the Lumiere Award nominations Tuesday, with seven including best film, best director and best screenplay for the first time director. The film topped the nomination numbers with two nods in the best new actor category.
Roman Polanski's An Officer and a Spy scored five nods amidst calls from a coalition of film industry and activists to rescind his European Film Award nominations. French feminists have called for a boycott of the film and led protests at theaters around the country after actress Valentine Monnier came forward with a new accusation of rape in newspaper Le ...
Roman Polanski's An Officer and a Spy scored five nods amidst calls from a coalition of film industry and activists to rescind his European Film Award nominations. French feminists have called for a boycott of the film and led protests at theaters around the country after actress Valentine Monnier came forward with a new accusation of rape in newspaper Le ...
- 12/3/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
France's Oscar submission Les Miserables led the Lumiere Award nominations Tuesday, with seven including best film, best director and best screenplay for the first time director. The film topped the nomination numbers with two nods in the best new actor category.
Roman Polanski's An Officer and a Spy scored five nods amidst calls from a coalition of film industry and activists to rescind his European Film Award nominations. French feminists have called for a boycott of the film and led protests at theaters around the country after actress Valentine Monnier came forward with a new accusation of rape in newspaper Le ...
Roman Polanski's An Officer and a Spy scored five nods amidst calls from a coalition of film industry and activists to rescind his European Film Award nominations. French feminists have called for a boycott of the film and led protests at theaters around the country after actress Valentine Monnier came forward with a new accusation of rape in newspaper Le ...
- 12/3/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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
French actress Adèle Haenel filed a sexual harassment complaint against director Christophe Ruggia with Paris police on Tuesday.
Haenel first told investigative journal Mediapart earlier this month that Ruggia sexually harassed her since she was 12 years old, when she appeared in the director’s 2002 film “The Devils.” The abuse — which included “forced kisses” — continued until she was 15 years old, according to Mediapart.
Though Haenel initially said she would not file a formal complaint out of concern over how French authorities would handle the case, she has since changed her mind. “Now that the judiciary has opened an investigation, I won’t hide the fact that I will do everything in my power to see this process through to the end. What I hope for now personally is support and compensation from the justice system,” Haenel said in a statement via translation:
#AdèleHaenel porte plainte contre Christophe Ruggia
Elle explique pourquoi à Mediapart https://t.
Haenel first told investigative journal Mediapart earlier this month that Ruggia sexually harassed her since she was 12 years old, when she appeared in the director’s 2002 film “The Devils.” The abuse — which included “forced kisses” — continued until she was 15 years old, according to Mediapart.
Though Haenel initially said she would not file a formal complaint out of concern over how French authorities would handle the case, she has since changed her mind. “Now that the judiciary has opened an investigation, I won’t hide the fact that I will do everything in my power to see this process through to the end. What I hope for now personally is support and compensation from the justice system,” Haenel said in a statement via translation:
#AdèleHaenel porte plainte contre Christophe Ruggia
Elle explique pourquoi à Mediapart https://t.
- 11/26/2019
- by J. Clara Chan
- The Wrap
French actress Adele Haenel has taken her claims against filmmaker Christophe Ruggia, who she says sexually harassed her as a minor, to Paris police.
According to Afp, Haenel’s lawyers confirmed she went to a police station in the French capital’s suburb today (Tuesday November 26) to file a formal complaint.
The move is a reversal of her initial decision not to pursue legal action – she initially said “justice ignores” victims in her situation.
The news first broke on November 4 when Paris-based investigative journal Mediapart published an extensive report in which Haenel said Ruggia began harassing her after she was cast in his 2002 drama The Devils when she was 12, and continued until she was 15.
Ruggia responded to the report saying he “categorically refutes” any misconduct. He has since asked the actress to forgive him, issuing a second statement saying, “I did not see that my adulation and the hopes that...
According to Afp, Haenel’s lawyers confirmed she went to a police station in the French capital’s suburb today (Tuesday November 26) to file a formal complaint.
The move is a reversal of her initial decision not to pursue legal action – she initially said “justice ignores” victims in her situation.
The news first broke on November 4 when Paris-based investigative journal Mediapart published an extensive report in which Haenel said Ruggia began harassing her after she was cast in his 2002 drama The Devils when she was 12, and continued until she was 15.
Ruggia responded to the report saying he “categorically refutes” any misconduct. He has since asked the actress to forgive him, issuing a second statement saying, “I did not see that my adulation and the hopes that...
- 11/26/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Valentine Monnier, the former actor who recently went public with her accusation that Roman Polanski raped her 44 years ago, sent an anonymous letter to L.A. prosecutors in early 2017 detailing those allegations, sources tell Variety. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has confirmed that it received such a letter in February 2017 and has kept it in its files, but declined to comment further.
Monnier lives in Paris and now works as a photographer. A source close to her said she sent the letter anonymously to L.A. prosecutors in early 2017 out of anger upon hearing that Polanski was to be named the honorary president of the Cesar Awards, France’s highest film prizes. At the time, Polanski’s attorneys were making various requests of the L.A. Superior Court, including that he be sentenced in absentia for his 1977 statutory rape conviction and allowed to return to the U.S.
Monnier lives in Paris and now works as a photographer. A source close to her said she sent the letter anonymously to L.A. prosecutors in early 2017 out of anger upon hearing that Polanski was to be named the honorary president of the Cesar Awards, France’s highest film prizes. At the time, Polanski’s attorneys were making various requests of the L.A. Superior Court, including that he be sentenced in absentia for his 1977 statutory rape conviction and allowed to return to the U.S.
- 11/21/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy and Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Roman Polanski's Venice Silver Lion winner An Officer and a Spy topped the French box office in its first week of release despite calls to boycott the film after actress Valentine Monnier accused the director of rape.
The film, starring Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel and Polanski's wife Emmanuelle Seigner, had the strongest opening for Polanski in France in years, with 501,000 tickets sold across 545 screens for the week ended Wednesday. His 2003 Oscar-winner The Pianist sold 1.8 million tickets during its release, but recent films haven't fared as well, with 2013's Venus in Fur topping ...
The film, starring Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel and Polanski's wife Emmanuelle Seigner, had the strongest opening for Polanski in France in years, with 501,000 tickets sold across 545 screens for the week ended Wednesday. His 2003 Oscar-winner The Pianist sold 1.8 million tickets during its release, but recent films haven't fared as well, with 2013's Venus in Fur topping ...
- 11/21/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Roman Polanski's Venice Silver Lion winner An Officer and a Spy topped the French box office in its first week of release despite calls to boycott the film after actress Valentine Monnier accused the director of rape.
The film, starring Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel and Polanski's wife Emmanuelle Seigner, had the strongest opening for Polanski in France in years, with 501,000 tickets sold across 545 screens for the week ended Wednesday. His 2003 Oscar-winner The Pianist sold 1.8 million tickets during its release, but recent films haven't fared as well, with 2013's Venus in Fur topping ...
The film, starring Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel and Polanski's wife Emmanuelle Seigner, had the strongest opening for Polanski in France in years, with 501,000 tickets sold across 545 screens for the week ended Wednesday. His 2003 Oscar-winner The Pianist sold 1.8 million tickets during its release, but recent films haven't fared as well, with 2013's Venus in Fur topping ...
- 11/21/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke two years ago, the news was mostly met in France with a Gallic shrug. Screen icon Catherine Deneuve even denounced the #MeToo movement as creating a “totalitarian” environment. But bombshell accusations this month from actors Adèle Haenel and Valentine Monnier may finally have turned the tide in the local film industry.
Following the Nov. 4 publication of an investigation by news website Mediapart, in which Haenel accused director Christophe Ruggia of having sexually harassed her for years from the time she was 12, French stars such as Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Adjani and Jean Dujardin, as well as institutions such as UniFrance and the directors’ guild Srf, have spoken out in support of Haenel and, to a larger extent, all victims of alleged sexual abuse in the movie business. Ruggia was swiftly booted from the Srf, and is now being investigated by the Paris prosecutor.
Four days later,...
Following the Nov. 4 publication of an investigation by news website Mediapart, in which Haenel accused director Christophe Ruggia of having sexually harassed her for years from the time she was 12, French stars such as Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Adjani and Jean Dujardin, as well as institutions such as UniFrance and the directors’ guild Srf, have spoken out in support of Haenel and, to a larger extent, all victims of alleged sexual abuse in the movie business. Ruggia was swiftly booted from the Srf, and is now being investigated by the Paris prosecutor.
Four days later,...
- 11/21/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Director was speaking to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Filmmaker Roman Polanski has told an Italian newspaper he intends to talk publicly about a fresh accusation of rape against him which emerged on the eve of the French release of his new film An Officer And A Spy.
Photographer Valentine Monnier alleged in French newspaper Le Parisien on November 8 that Polanski raped her in a ski chalet in Gstaad in 1975. Polanski has denied the allegation via his lawyer who said they will be taking legal action against Le Parisien.
In one of the first interviews with Polanski since the accusation broke,...
Filmmaker Roman Polanski has told an Italian newspaper he intends to talk publicly about a fresh accusation of rape against him which emerged on the eve of the French release of his new film An Officer And A Spy.
Photographer Valentine Monnier alleged in French newspaper Le Parisien on November 8 that Polanski raped her in a ski chalet in Gstaad in 1975. Polanski has denied the allegation via his lawyer who said they will be taking legal action against Le Parisien.
In one of the first interviews with Polanski since the accusation broke,...
- 11/19/2019
- by 1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
France’s authors, directors and producers guild has moved a step closer to imposing sanctions on any member under investigation for or guilty of a sexual offense – a process that could result in the suspension of controversial director Roman Polanski.
The board of the Arp voted Monday evening in favor of the policy, which now must go before the organization’s membership for ratification at its next board meeting, the guild said in a statement. Although the next regularly scheduled board meeting is in spring 2020, a guild spokesperson told Variety that the vote would take place during an extraordinary general assembly whose date has not been determined. The Arp has about 200 members.
The policy calls for suspension of any member under investigation for sexual misconduct and expulsion for anyone found guilty. If the Arp membership ratifies the move, Polanski would be suspended, the Arp said.
Polanski was also accused on Nov.
The board of the Arp voted Monday evening in favor of the policy, which now must go before the organization’s membership for ratification at its next board meeting, the guild said in a statement. Although the next regularly scheduled board meeting is in spring 2020, a guild spokesperson told Variety that the vote would take place during an extraordinary general assembly whose date has not been determined. The Arp has about 200 members.
The policy calls for suspension of any member under investigation for sexual misconduct and expulsion for anyone found guilty. If the Arp membership ratifies the move, Polanski would be suspended, the Arp said.
Polanski was also accused on Nov.
- 11/19/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
France’s directors’ guild, the Arp, announced late Monday that it will vote to introduce new rules that would directly concern director Roman Polanski and move for his suspension from the guild.
Polanski’s latest film “An Officer and a Spy,” known in France as “J’Accuse,” opened theatrically this month in the wake of actress and photographer Valentine Monnier accusing Polanski of raping her in 1975 when she was 18 years old. Polanski’s French attorney Hervé Témime told Le Parisien that Polanski strongly denies the allegations and would bring legal action against the publication that ran the accusations.
The rule change would introduce suspension procedures for any member who was put on trial by the courts and the person would be expelled completely if that person is sentenced. It would also exclude sentenced members for offenses of a sexual nature, but if that person was acquitted, they would be fully reinstated following the suspension.
Polanski’s latest film “An Officer and a Spy,” known in France as “J’Accuse,” opened theatrically this month in the wake of actress and photographer Valentine Monnier accusing Polanski of raping her in 1975 when she was 18 years old. Polanski’s French attorney Hervé Témime told Le Parisien that Polanski strongly denies the allegations and would bring legal action against the publication that ran the accusations.
The rule change would introduce suspension procedures for any member who was put on trial by the courts and the person would be expelled completely if that person is sentenced. It would also exclude sentenced members for offenses of a sexual nature, but if that person was acquitted, they would be fully reinstated following the suspension.
- 11/19/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
France's Arp, the country's guild for directors, writers and producers, has proposed new rules for members under investigation or convicted of sexual crimes, which would lead to the suspension of Roman Polanski.
The director has been a fugitive from justice in the U.S. for decades and faces a fresh probe following an explosive accusation from actress Valentine Monnier that Polanski raped her in 1975.
The Arp board's new rules would “suspend any member facing legal charges, and expel any member convicted, especially for crimes of a sexual nature,” said president Pierre Jolivet.
The new ...
The director has been a fugitive from justice in the U.S. for decades and faces a fresh probe following an explosive accusation from actress Valentine Monnier that Polanski raped her in 1975.
The Arp board's new rules would “suspend any member facing legal charges, and expel any member convicted, especially for crimes of a sexual nature,” said president Pierre Jolivet.
The new ...
- 11/19/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
France's Arp, the country's guild for directors, writers and producers, has proposed new rules for members under investigation or convicted of sexual crimes, which would lead to the suspension of Roman Polanski.
The director has been a fugitive from justice in the U.S. for decades and faces a fresh probe following an explosive accusation from actress Valentine Monnier that Polanski raped her in 1975.
The Arp board's new rules would “suspend any member facing legal charges, and expel any member convicted, especially for crimes of a sexual nature,” said president Pierre Jolivet.
The new ...
The director has been a fugitive from justice in the U.S. for decades and faces a fresh probe following an explosive accusation from actress Valentine Monnier that Polanski raped her in 1975.
The Arp board's new rules would “suspend any member facing legal charges, and expel any member convicted, especially for crimes of a sexual nature,” said president Pierre Jolivet.
The new ...
- 11/19/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Roman Polanski’s latest film, “An Officer and a Spy,” is leading the French box office after its opening weekend and fifth day out in theaters despite new sexual-assault accusations against the director and truncated promotion for the film.
Released by Gaumont last Wednesday across 545 screens, “An Officer and a Spy” has grossed an estimated €1.5 million ($1.6 million) from 370,000 tickets sold in France as of midday Monday, taking the lead at the weekend B.O. ahead of James Mangold’s “Ford v. Ferrari,” according to Comscore France. It’s the seventh-best start for a French film since the beginning of the year, Gaumont said.
The film’s main Parisian premiere last Tuesday evening went smoothly, with Polanski and lead actor Jean Dujardin in attendance, but another premiere screening scheduled at a different Paris venue, which co-star Louis Garrel was supposed to attend, was canceled amid a protest by women’s-rights activists.
Released by Gaumont last Wednesday across 545 screens, “An Officer and a Spy” has grossed an estimated €1.5 million ($1.6 million) from 370,000 tickets sold in France as of midday Monday, taking the lead at the weekend B.O. ahead of James Mangold’s “Ford v. Ferrari,” according to Comscore France. It’s the seventh-best start for a French film since the beginning of the year, Gaumont said.
The film’s main Parisian premiere last Tuesday evening went smoothly, with Polanski and lead actor Jean Dujardin in attendance, but another premiere screening scheduled at a different Paris venue, which co-star Louis Garrel was supposed to attend, was canceled amid a protest by women’s-rights activists.
- 11/18/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
It was the third biggest French-language opener of the year.
Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy was the biggest opening film in France on Wednesday (November 13) as it launched theatrically amid controversy following a fresh allegation of rape against the director on the eve of its 550-screen release.
Jérôme Hilal, head of theatrical at distributor Gaumont, tweeted on Wednesday evening the film had garnered 46,412 admissions on its opening day, equivalent to a gross of roughly $338,000. Of this total,18,313 admissions were generated in Paris.
Added together with the 10,268 tickets sold for preview screenings, the film had drawn 56,580 spectators to date,...
Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy was the biggest opening film in France on Wednesday (November 13) as it launched theatrically amid controversy following a fresh allegation of rape against the director on the eve of its 550-screen release.
Jérôme Hilal, head of theatrical at distributor Gaumont, tweeted on Wednesday evening the film had garnered 46,412 admissions on its opening day, equivalent to a gross of roughly $338,000. Of this total,18,313 admissions were generated in Paris.
Added together with the 10,268 tickets sold for preview screenings, the film had drawn 56,580 spectators to date,...
- 11/14/2019
- by 1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Release rocked by fresh rape allegations against the director.
European distributors of Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy have told Screen they are standing by their release plans despite protests in Paris and a fresh rape allegation against the director.
As previously reported, Gaumont is pushing ahead with a 550-screen release in France from today despite an accusation by photographer Valentine Monnier that Polanski raped her in 1975 when she was 18-years-old. Polanski has denied the allegation via his lawyer who says they plan to take legal action against Le Parisien newspaper, which printed Monnier’s story.
Other distributors...
European distributors of Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy have told Screen they are standing by their release plans despite protests in Paris and a fresh rape allegation against the director.
As previously reported, Gaumont is pushing ahead with a 550-screen release in France from today despite an accusation by photographer Valentine Monnier that Polanski raped her in 1975 when she was 18-years-old. Polanski has denied the allegation via his lawyer who says they plan to take legal action against Le Parisien newspaper, which printed Monnier’s story.
Other distributors...
- 11/13/2019
- by 1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Paris preview screening on Tuesday evening abandoned after female rights activists picket screening.
French studio Gaumont is continuing with its theatrical launch of Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy today (November 13) in the face of growing protests against its release, following a fresh rape allegation against the director.
A preview screening at the Le Champo cinema in the Latin Quarter of Paris had to be abandoned on Tuesday evening after a group of female rights activists picketed the event, brandishing slogans, reading: “Polanski rapist, cinema is complicit, public is complicit.”
French actor Louis Garrel, who plays the role...
French studio Gaumont is continuing with its theatrical launch of Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy today (November 13) in the face of growing protests against its release, following a fresh rape allegation against the director.
A preview screening at the Le Champo cinema in the Latin Quarter of Paris had to be abandoned on Tuesday evening after a group of female rights activists picketed the event, brandishing slogans, reading: “Polanski rapist, cinema is complicit, public is complicit.”
French actor Louis Garrel, who plays the role...
- 11/13/2019
- by 1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
A group of about 40 protesters blocked the entrance to a premiere of Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy (J’Accuse) on Tuesday night in Paris, ultimately resulting in the screening’s cancellation. France Info reports that the group, dressed all in black and equipped with red smoke-generating canisters and placards bearing the names of women who have accused the director of rape, demonstrated for about an hour in front of the Le Champo cinema in the 5th arrondissement before the theater pulled the show.
Elsewhere in the capital on Tuesday night, the official premiere was held at the Ugc Normandie cinema on the Champs-Elysées. Polanski was in attendance, and, according to a report from Bfmtv, the screening did not encounter similar protests.
Polanski was recently accused by a French photographer, Valentine Monnier, of raping her at his Swiss chalet in 1975. He has denied the allegations through his attorney.
Elsewhere in the capital on Tuesday night, the official premiere was held at the Ugc Normandie cinema on the Champs-Elysées. Polanski was in attendance, and, according to a report from Bfmtv, the screening did not encounter similar protests.
Polanski was recently accused by a French photographer, Valentine Monnier, of raping her at his Swiss chalet in 1975. He has denied the allegations through his attorney.
- 11/13/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Following recent explosive allegations by actresses Adele Haenel and Valentine Monnier of harassment and assault at the hands of male directors, France’s authors, directors and producers guild said Tuesday that it will consider sanctions against any member being investigated for or found guilty of a sexual offense.
The Société Civile des Auteurs, Réalisateurs, Producteurs (Arp) said in a statement that, although it is not an adjudicator of such allegations, “as an organization we must take into account the fact that our profession, because of the power it yields, can open the door to reprehensible excesses. These can’t in any case be justified, nor can they be tolerated. That’s why the board of the Arp will propose during the next administrative council that, from now on, any member who has been convicted of a sexual offense be expelled and any member under investigation be suspended” from the guild.
The Société Civile des Auteurs, Réalisateurs, Producteurs (Arp) said in a statement that, although it is not an adjudicator of such allegations, “as an organization we must take into account the fact that our profession, because of the power it yields, can open the door to reprehensible excesses. These can’t in any case be justified, nor can they be tolerated. That’s why the board of the Arp will propose during the next administrative council that, from now on, any member who has been convicted of a sexual offense be expelled and any member under investigation be suspended” from the guild.
- 11/12/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
In the wake of French actress Valentine Monnier’s allegation of rape against Roman Polanski, the promotion of the director’s latest film, “An Officer and a Spy,” has been axed in France, but the movie’s premiere Tuesday night and its theatrical release are scheduled to go forward.
Real-life period drama “An Officer and a Spy” is set to premiere Tuesday evening in Paris on the Champs Elysees. It’s unknown at this point if Polanski will attend. Distributor Gaumont told Variety that it would press ahead with its plan to give the film a wide release across France starting Wednesday on 545 screens, despite the accusation against Polanski of sexual assault.
However, several promotional activities have been canceled following Monnier’s allegation last Friday that Polanski raped her at a ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, in 1975, when she was just 18. Le Parisien newspaper, which published Monnier’s story, said...
Real-life period drama “An Officer and a Spy” is set to premiere Tuesday evening in Paris on the Champs Elysees. It’s unknown at this point if Polanski will attend. Distributor Gaumont told Variety that it would press ahead with its plan to give the film a wide release across France starting Wednesday on 545 screens, despite the accusation against Polanski of sexual assault.
However, several promotional activities have been canceled following Monnier’s allegation last Friday that Polanski raped her at a ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, in 1975, when she was just 18. Le Parisien newspaper, which published Monnier’s story, said...
- 11/12/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Far bet it from me to agree with anyone that might agree with Roman Polanski’s denial of any rape charges, but the whole idea of Valentine Monnier not bringing up the charge any earlier, much as what’s been seen with the Weinstein scandal, has grown frustrating to the point of not wanting to care. That sounds horrible, doesn’t it? The rape of anyone isn’t something to play idly with or use as a means to say ‘well, you had all this time to come forward and you didn’t do it’. But the stark truth is that the only reason that
Wait, How is Roman Polanski Not in Jail Again?...
Wait, How is Roman Polanski Not in Jail Again?...
- 11/12/2019
- by Tom
- TVovermind.com
Update: Roman Polanski’s French attorney, Hervé Témime, has issued a statement saying that the film director “most firmly contests the accusation of rape” that was raised by Valentine Monnier.
On Friday, Monnier told the French publication Le Parisien that the alleged sexual assault by Polanski was “extremely violent” and that it occurred after a ski run. The alleged incident occured at a chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland in 1975. That nation has a 20-year statute of limitations on rape.
In a letter sent to media, Témime said Polanski “will not participate in the media trial, and me neither.” He added that the allegation stems from “facts that are 45 years old. Never has this accusation been brought to Polanski’s knowledge, and neither to a judicial institution, except for a letter sent to the California prosecutor two years ago, according to Le Parisien.”
Polanski has a new film, An Officer and a Spy,...
On Friday, Monnier told the French publication Le Parisien that the alleged sexual assault by Polanski was “extremely violent” and that it occurred after a ski run. The alleged incident occured at a chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland in 1975. That nation has a 20-year statute of limitations on rape.
In a letter sent to media, Témime said Polanski “will not participate in the media trial, and me neither.” He added that the allegation stems from “facts that are 45 years old. Never has this accusation been brought to Polanski’s knowledge, and neither to a judicial institution, except for a letter sent to the California prosecutor two years ago, according to Le Parisien.”
Polanski has a new film, An Officer and a Spy,...
- 11/10/2019
- by Bruce Haring and Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Responding to French actress Valentine Monnier’s accusation of rape, a lawyer for Roman Polanski has issued a statement saying that the filmmaker denied the allegations and was considering suing the newspaper that published Monnier’s story.
In an article in Le Parisien on Friday, Monnier alleged that Polanski raped her violently at a ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, in 1975. The allegation cannot result in any criminal charges because Switzerland’s 20-year statute of limitations has passed.
In a statement issued to Agence-France Presse on Sunday, Polanski’s French attorney, Hervé Témime, said that the filmmaker “most firmly contests the accusation of rape….We are considering taking legal action against this publication.” Témime said Polanski “will not participate in the media trial, and me neither.”
The lawyer added that the allegation “concerns facts that are 45 years old. Never has this accusation been brought to Polanski’s knowledge, and neither to a judicial institution,...
In an article in Le Parisien on Friday, Monnier alleged that Polanski raped her violently at a ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, in 1975. The allegation cannot result in any criminal charges because Switzerland’s 20-year statute of limitations has passed.
In a statement issued to Agence-France Presse on Sunday, Polanski’s French attorney, Hervé Témime, said that the filmmaker “most firmly contests the accusation of rape….We are considering taking legal action against this publication.” Témime said Polanski “will not participate in the media trial, and me neither.”
The lawyer added that the allegation “concerns facts that are 45 years old. Never has this accusation been brought to Polanski’s knowledge, and neither to a judicial institution,...
- 11/10/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
You know, that Roman Polanski guy may not be a nice guy after all. The Oscar-winning director who fled to France instead of facing up to the sentence on a charge of statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl, charges which he had pleaded guilty to, is now facing more accusations. French actress Valentine Monnier accused Polanski of raping her at a ski chalet in Switzerland in 1975, when the actress was 18.
Continue reading Roman Polanski Accused Of “Extremely Violent” Rape Of A French Actress In 1975 When She Was 18 at The Playlist.
Continue reading Roman Polanski Accused Of “Extremely Violent” Rape Of A French Actress In 1975 When She Was 18 at The Playlist.
- 11/9/2019
- by Rafael Motamayor
- The Playlist
A French actress has come forward with new accusations that director Roman Polanski raped her at a Switzerland ski chalet in 1975.
Valentine Monnier, speaking to French newspaper Le Parisien, said she was 18 years old when Polanski allegedly attacked her, ripped off her clothes and raped her following a dinner with friends at the ski chalet. The alleged incident, which Le Parisien corroborated with several people, occurred two years before Polanski’s alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles in 1977.
“Rape is a time bomb. The memory does not fade.
Valentine Monnier, speaking to French newspaper Le Parisien, said she was 18 years old when Polanski allegedly attacked her, ripped off her clothes and raped her following a dinner with friends at the ski chalet. The alleged incident, which Le Parisien corroborated with several people, occurred two years before Polanski’s alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles in 1977.
“Rape is a time bomb. The memory does not fade.
- 11/9/2019
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Roman Polanski is facing new accusations of sexual assault.
The 86-year-old director has been accused of raping French actress Valentine Monnier in 1975 when she was 18 years old, according to Le Parisien via The Guardian.
In an interview with the French newspaper, Monnier, now 62, alleged the incident occurred at Polanski’s ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland.
“I had no links with him, neither personal nor professional and hardly knew him,” Monnier said, adding the alleged rape was “extremely violent.”
“He pummelled me until I gave in and then raped me, making me do all sorts of things,” she claimed.
A French lawyer for Polanski,...
The 86-year-old director has been accused of raping French actress Valentine Monnier in 1975 when she was 18 years old, according to Le Parisien via The Guardian.
In an interview with the French newspaper, Monnier, now 62, alleged the incident occurred at Polanski’s ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland.
“I had no links with him, neither personal nor professional and hardly knew him,” Monnier said, adding the alleged rape was “extremely violent.”
“He pummelled me until I gave in and then raped me, making me do all sorts of things,” she claimed.
A French lawyer for Polanski,...
- 11/9/2019
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
In a report published Friday by French daily newspaper Le Parisien, French actress Valentine Monnier accused director Roman Polanski of raping her at Polanksi’s ski chalet in Switzerland in 1975 when she was 18.
Monnier told Le Parisien that the director violently raped her. The newspaper reported that it spoke with several people, who said Monnier told them of the incident shortly after it occurred.
“Rape is a time bomb,” she told the publication. “The memory does not fade. It becomes a ghost and it follows you, and it changes you insidiously.”
IndieWire has reached out to Polanski’s U.S. lawyers for comment.
Monnier said she was moved to speak some four decades after the incident due to the release of Polanski’s latest film, “J’Accuse” (“An Officer and a Spy”), due out in France next week.
The movie won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and earned mostly...
Monnier told Le Parisien that the director violently raped her. The newspaper reported that it spoke with several people, who said Monnier told them of the incident shortly after it occurred.
“Rape is a time bomb,” she told the publication. “The memory does not fade. It becomes a ghost and it follows you, and it changes you insidiously.”
IndieWire has reached out to Polanski’s U.S. lawyers for comment.
Monnier said she was moved to speak some four decades after the incident due to the release of Polanski’s latest film, “J’Accuse” (“An Officer and a Spy”), due out in France next week.
The movie won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and earned mostly...
- 11/8/2019
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
A French woman is accusing Roman Polanski of violently raping her when she was an 18-year-old actress. The actress, who is named Valentine Monnier, tells Le Parisien about the alleged assault in an interview published on Friday. "In 1975, I was raped by Roman Polanski," she claims in a statement to Le Parisien, which has been translated from French. "I had no connection to him, personal or professional, and barely knew him. This was an extreme act of violence, after we went skiing at his chalet in Gstaad. He hit me, ripped off my clothes until I surrendered, and made me submit to a number of unpleasant acts. I had just turned 18 years old." Le Parisien reports they were...
- 11/8/2019
- E! Online
A French actress has accused Roman Polanski of raping her in 1975 in Switzerland when she was 18 years old.
According to Le Parisien, via translation, Valentine Monnier said the “extremely violent” rape occurred in a ski chalet in Switzerland.
While a spokesperson for Polanski has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment, Polanski’s French attorney Hervé Témime told Le Parisien that Polanski strongly denies the allegations in a statement Friday and a separate statement on Sunday.
“Mr Polanski disputes in the strongest terms this rape accusation,” Temime told Afp. “We are working on the legal action to bring against this publication,” he added.
“I had no connection with him, no staff, no professional and hardly knew him,” Monnier said. “It was extremely violent, after a skiing trip, in his cottage in Gstaad (Switzerland). He hit me, beat me until I surrendered, and then raped me with all the vicissitudes.
According to Le Parisien, via translation, Valentine Monnier said the “extremely violent” rape occurred in a ski chalet in Switzerland.
While a spokesperson for Polanski has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment, Polanski’s French attorney Hervé Témime told Le Parisien that Polanski strongly denies the allegations in a statement Friday and a separate statement on Sunday.
“Mr Polanski disputes in the strongest terms this rape accusation,” Temime told Afp. “We are working on the legal action to bring against this publication,” he added.
“I had no connection with him, no staff, no professional and hardly knew him,” Monnier said. “It was extremely violent, after a skiing trip, in his cottage in Gstaad (Switzerland). He hit me, beat me until I surrendered, and then raped me with all the vicissitudes.
- 11/8/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven and Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
A French actress accused director Roman Polanski on Friday of raping her at a ski chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, in 1975.
Valentine Monnier told Le Parisien that the director violently raped her when she was 18 years old. The publication also spoke with several people who offered corroboration, saying she had told them of the incident shortly afterward.
Polanski is not facing any legal action in France over this alleged rape since the country has a 20-year statute of limitations. But Monnier said she was moved to speak out now due to the release of Polanski’s latest film, “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’Accuse”), which hits theaters in France next week, where Gaumont will give it a wide release. The movie world premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and earned mostly positive reviews.
“Rape is a time bomb,” she told the publication.
Valentine Monnier told Le Parisien that the director violently raped her when she was 18 years old. The publication also spoke with several people who offered corroboration, saying she had told them of the incident shortly afterward.
Polanski is not facing any legal action in France over this alleged rape since the country has a 20-year statute of limitations. But Monnier said she was moved to speak out now due to the release of Polanski’s latest film, “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’Accuse”), which hits theaters in France next week, where Gaumont will give it a wide release. The movie world premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and earned mostly positive reviews.
“Rape is a time bomb,” she told the publication.
- 11/8/2019
- by Gene Maddaus and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Film director denies claim by Valentine Monnier about alleged incident at ski resort
A Frenchwoman has accused Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski of raping her in a Swiss ski resort when she was a teenager.
It is the latest accusation against the Polish-born director who fled from the Us to France in 1978 after admitting the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.
A Frenchwoman has accused Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski of raping her in a Swiss ski resort when she was a teenager.
It is the latest accusation against the Polish-born director who fled from the Us to France in 1978 after admitting the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.
- 11/8/2019
- by AFP in Paris
- The Guardian - Film News
Director Roman Polanski has again been accused of sexual assault.
French actress Valentine Monnier accuses the Officer and a Spy director of violently raping her in 1975 in a Friday story in Le Parisien. The alleged attack, which occurred when Monnier was 18 years old, was corroborated by several other sources who conferred with Le Parisien.
"In 1975, I was raped by Roman Polanski," she wrote in a statement to the publication. "I had no connection to him, personal or professional, and barely knew him. This didn't happen in the fracas of a party (there were no drugs, no ...
French actress Valentine Monnier accuses the Officer and a Spy director of violently raping her in 1975 in a Friday story in Le Parisien. The alleged attack, which occurred when Monnier was 18 years old, was corroborated by several other sources who conferred with Le Parisien.
"In 1975, I was raped by Roman Polanski," she wrote in a statement to the publication. "I had no connection to him, personal or professional, and barely knew him. This didn't happen in the fracas of a party (there were no drugs, no ...
- 11/8/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Director Roman Polanski has again been accused of sexual assault.
French actress Valentine Monnier accuses the Officer and a Spy director of violently raping her in 1975 in a Friday story in Le Parisien. The alleged attack, which occurred when Monnier was 18 years old, was corroborated by several other sources who conferred with Le Parisien.
"In 1975, I was raped by Roman Polanski," she wrote in a statement to the publication. "I had no connection to him, personal or professional, and barely knew him. This didn't happen in the fracas of a party (there were no drugs, no ...
French actress Valentine Monnier accuses the Officer and a Spy director of violently raping her in 1975 in a Friday story in Le Parisien. The alleged attack, which occurred when Monnier was 18 years old, was corroborated by several other sources who conferred with Le Parisien.
"In 1975, I was raped by Roman Polanski," she wrote in a statement to the publication. "I had no connection to him, personal or professional, and barely knew him. This didn't happen in the fracas of a party (there were no drugs, no ...
- 11/8/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There may be a holiday here in the States, but that doesn’t mean this week’s home media releases are taking any time off. In fact, we’ve got a bunch of great new titles and several cult classics coming our way on Tuesday. Scream Factory and IFC Midnight are teaming up on the recent indie horror projects Midnighters and The Cured, and Another WolfCop is coming home on both formats courtesy of Rlje Entertainment. And for those of you who have been patiently waiting, Arrow Video’s Limited Edition Blu for Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left finally arrives this week as well.
Other notable releases for July 3rd include the reissue of Call Girl of Cthulhu, Primal Rage, Devilfish aka Monster Shark, The Jurassic Games, and The Lullaby.
Another WolfCop
A year has passed since the dark eclipse transformed hard-drinking Officer Lou Garou (Leo Fafard...
Other notable releases for July 3rd include the reissue of Call Girl of Cthulhu, Primal Rage, Devilfish aka Monster Shark, The Jurassic Games, and The Lullaby.
Another WolfCop
A year has passed since the dark eclipse transformed hard-drinking Officer Lou Garou (Leo Fafard...
- 7/2/2018
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
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