VENICE (Reuters) – The film’s producer lamented that no one wanted to buy the distribution rights to the United States, England and France for Roman Polanski’s new film “The Palace,” which said morality should not interfere with art.
One of the most successful directors of his generation, Polanski fled the United States in 1977 after he pleaded guilty to raping a 13-year-old girl.
After the #MeToo movement gained global traction in 2017 following sexual abuse allegations against American producer Harvey Weinstein, many women came forward to accuse Polanski of sexual assault when they were teenagers.
Polanski, a French and Polish national, has denied the charges in court, but has struggled to secure global distribution deals for his films, even as actors still line up to work with him.
“The Palace”, a hotel comedy full of grotesque characters, stars Mickey Rourke, John Cleese, Oliver Masucci, Fanny Ardant and Joaquim de Almeida.
Polanski, who turned 90 last month, was not in Venice for the premiere of his film, which is not in contention for the film festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion. His previous works as a director include “The Pianist”, “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Chinatown”.
(Reporting by Crispian Palmer)
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