Roman Polanski: Venice Film Festival jury president refuses to congratulate filmmaker amid controversy

'I don’t separate the man from the art,' says Lucrecia Martel

The film has been shrouded with controversy following allegations against the French-Polish director (Getty)

The Venice Film Festival’s jury president is refusing to congratulate Roman Polanski over his inclusion in this year’s selection.

Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel spoke on Wednesday during a press conference also attended by festival director Alberto Barbera.

It was revealed in July this year that the prestigious festival would include Polanski’s latest film, An Officer and a Spy.

Polanski’s presence in the line-up generated debate on social media, where several people voiced their disagreement with the festival’s decision. Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in 1977 before fleeing the United States for Europe. He has lived in France since.

“I don’t separate the man from the art,” Martel said of Polanski, according to Deadline. “I think that important aspect of the work emerges in the man.”

She said she wouldn’t attend a dinner planned for Polanski’s film, adding: “I will not congratulate him, but I think it is correct that his movie is here at this festival, we have to do develop our dialogue with him and this is the best possible place to go on with this type of discussion.”

Martel called the situation regarding Polanski’s conviction “difficult” to judge.

“A man who commits a crime of this size who is then condemned, and the victim considers herself satisfied with the compensation is difficult for me judge… It is difficult to define what is the right approach we have to take with people who have committed certain acts and were judged for them. I think these questions are part of the debate in our times,” she said.

Her position contrasts with that of festival director Alberto Barbera, who said he’s “convinced that we have to distinguish necessarily between the artist and the man” – an opinion he also expressed in July when the festival line-up was unveiled.

The jury president whose film The Headless Woman competed for the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 2008, also spoke in favour of quotas to ensure gender equality among festival line-ups.

Venice was criticised in July for only including two films by female directors in its official selection for 2019.