PARIS, France – Several actresses have walked out of the César awards ceremony here after Roman Polanski, who was convicted of the statutory rape of a 13 year old in 1977, won best director.
The Polish-French director fled the US
after his rape conviction in the 1970s.
He has since faced other accusations of sexual assault.
The awards – France’s equivalent of the Oscars – have been mired in controversy after Polanski’s An Officer and a Spy received 12 nominations.
An Officer and a Spy, or J’accuse in French, is about the Dreyfus affair in 19th Century France and won a total of three awards on Friday night.
Polanski and members of his crew did not attend the event, with the director having said previously that he feared for his safety.(BBC)
