photo - EPA/Walter Bierls
The September 2009 arrest of the director by Swiss authorities, following an extradition request by the U.S. relating to unlawful sex with a minor, had prevented him from taking the prize two years ago.
However, in spite of the controversy, Polanski was greeted with a prolonged standing ovation as he strode into a closed ceremony in Zurich last night.
“Friends, what can I say? Better late than never,” he quipped on taking the stage.
After almost a year under house arrest, Swiss authorities had reneged on their move towards extradition citing a legal error in the U.S request. As a result, Polanski had returned to France, his permanent place of residence, in July 2010.
Yesterday, Zurich Mayor Corine Mauch told the Associated Press that Polanski was a welcome guest in her country.
“He's a free man in Switzerland," she affirmed. "And I'm happy that after two years, he is able to get his prize here."
While on stage, Polanski made several references to his incarceration, noting that “certain parts of it I'd like to forget.”
He went on to thank all his supporters.
“I would particularly like to say my thanks to the prison staff for trying to make my stay there as bearable as possible," he added.
Following the ceremony, a world premiere of a new documentary, Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir, was screened.
Largely shot after Polanski had been moved from a Zurich prison to his Swiss country villa, where he was then held under house arrest for six months, the documentary is chiefly composed of interviews with the director.
The film draws on both his childhood experiences in Nazi-occupied Krakow, as well as his post-war career in cinema.
The 7th Zurich Film Festival runs until 2 October. (nh/pg)
Source: PAP, AP