Highlights
- Filmmaker Roman Polanski will attend the Zurich Film Festival to pick up the lifetime achievement award that he could not accept in 2009 following his arrest by Swiss police.
- The festival will present Polanski with its A Tribute To award "to honor his outstanding career achievements as a filmmaker."
- The tribute will take place on September 27, two years and a day after his arrest, the Variety reported.
- "We are especially proud to welcome Roman Polanski this year to receive his award. We have always been tremendous admirers of his work, and we are delighted that we will soon be able to express this to him in person," Zurich fest directors Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht said in a statement.
- Polanski was arrested at Zurich airport in September 2009 at the request of the US Justice Department in the 1977 case of having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
- The director had fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with the minor and faced extradition to the US.
- However, the Swiss government rejected the extradition request in July 2010, and released Polanski from house arrest at his home in Gstaad.
Filmmaker Roman Polanski willattend the Zurich Film Festival to pick up the lifetimeachievement award that he could not accept in 2009 followinghis arrest by Swiss police.
The festival will present Polanski with its A Tribute Toaward "to honor his outstanding career achievements as afilmmaker."
The tribute will take place on September 27, two yearsand a day after his arrest, the Variety reported.
"We are especially proud to welcome Roman Polanski thisyear to receive his award. We have always been tremendousadmirers of his work, and we are delighted that we will soonbe able to express this to him in person," Zurich festdirectors Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht said in astatement.
Polanski was arrested at Zurich airport in September 2009at the request of the US Justice Department in the 1977 caseof having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
The director had fled the US in 1978 after pleadingguilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with the minor and facedextradition to the US.
However, the Swiss government rejected the extraditionrequest in July 2010, and released Polanski from house arrestat his home in Gstaad.