Venice Movie Pageant director defends Roman Polanski, Woody Allen invitations: ‘I don’t see the place the problem is’

Go bounce in a canal.

Venice Film Festival creative director Alberto Barbera is refusing to row again on his choice to ask controversial movie-biz bigwigs Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Luc Besson to the late summer time occasion, which is able to happen regardless of the potential disruption by the continued SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.

“Luc Besson has been lately absolutely cleared of any accusations. Woody Allen went below authorized scrutiny twice on the finish of the ’90s and was absolved,” Barbera stated in a brand new interview with Selection. “With them, I don’t see what the problem is.”

Polanski, Allen and Besson have been publicly accused of various levels of sexual misconduct, over a interval of years.

Within the case of Besson, Barbera was referring to the rape accusation of which the director was cleared final month in a French court docket. Since 2018, Besson has had multiple charges of sexual misconduct leveled in opposition to him, although he denies any wrongdoing.

Allen, however, was New York’s indie darling for many years, earlier than being accused of sexually abusing his stepdaughter Dylan when she was 7 years outdated. Allen has repeatedly denied the allegation and has by no means been charged.

Polanski is the one one of many three to have admitted to alleged sexual wrongdoing. In 1977, the 43-year-old director was charged in California with six offenses in opposition to a 13-year-old woman, together with rape by use of medicine.

Polanski agreed to plea responsible to the least severe of the fees — “illegal sexual activity with a minor.” Nevertheless, he fled to Europe earlier than his full 90-day jail sentence may very well be served. He hasn’t set foot in the US since 1978.

On this latter case, Barbera referred to as the state of affairs “paradoxical.”

“Polanski has admitted his duty,” the competition director stated. “I believe that to maintain beating on Polanski means looking for a scapegoat for different conditions that might deserve extra consideration.”

Barbera additionally confirmed that Allen could be at his movie’s premiere “for certain.”