VENICE (Reuters) – The producer of Roman Polanski’s new film “The Palace” lamented that no one wanted to buy the film’s distribution rights in the United States, Britain and France, saying morality should not interfere with art.
Polanski, one of the most successful directors of his generation, fled the United States in 1977 after being convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl.
After the #MeToo movement gained global traction in 2017 following allegations of sexual abuse against American producer Harvey Weinstein, many women came forward to accuse Polanski of sexual assault when they were teenagers.
Polanski, who holds French and Polish citizenship, 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 with 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 missed out on 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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