Polanski and why people are calling for a boycott of the French Oscars

Today, the French Academy announced that Roman Polanski would be president of the 42nd edition of the César (the French Oscars) next month. The “award-winning director” also happens to be wanted by the U.S.on charges of drugging and raping a 13 year-old girl in 1977. At the time Polanski accepted a plea bargain but fled the country on the day of sentencing, and has been living in self-imposed exile ever since. He is wanted as a fugitive, and an Interpol warrant for his arrest remains active in 188 countries.

French feminists have been quick off the mark, calling for a boycott of the awards ceremony (check out the hashtag #BoycottCesar). But will they receive support from the French and International cinema scene or are we to see a repeat of 2009, when artists rushed to defend Polanski following his arrest in Switzerland? Then, more than 100 filmmakers, producers and actors signed a petition calling for his release. Quick reminder: the petition referred to Polanski’s original arrest in 1977 as being linked to a “case of morals” (!!!) and stated, with no apparent hint of irony, that an extradition would “take away [Polanski’s] freedom”. And that’s without revisiting the cries of “it wasn’t rape, rape”, “it was decades ago” or even “but he’s been living in exile for 40 years, he’s been punished enough.” (Yes, because living in Europe is just like being in prison, and exile is the same as not leaving a country because you’re wanted by Interpol.)

We’ll see in the next couple days how Hollywood and French stars react to the boycott, and what — if anything — has changed over the last eight years.