George to receive Cesar award this year?

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Many thanks to Frenchiesfans

This is interesting because the jury have elected Roman Polanski as their head this year. Will George be 'unavailable'?

Well done to George!

PAN - This is one I've never heard of. Who gives the Cesar awards? Is it something like to Oscars or more like the People's Choice Awards?

They are considered as the french Oscars.

They are.........but the man they have chosen to be president of the jury this year is Roman Polanski, who has been charged with underage sex in a US court, but then fled to France ahead of conviction..................

Thanks for the info. I don't know if it's because he's a talented director, because of the horrible way his wife died, or because there's a different attitude towards sex in his circles but it seems Polanski's never really been held to account for those rape charges.

Could it be because he claimed he didn't know the girl was under age? That she lied? Or is it just that it was so long ago that they don't care anymore?

I'm not sure, but the story has not gone away.

With that in mind, it's going to be very interesting to see what George decides to do should it turn out that he is to receive the honour.....

LizzyNY wrote:Thanks for the info. I don't know if it's because he's a talented director, because of the horrible way his wife died, or because there's a different attitude towards sex in his circles but it seems Polanski's never really been held to account for those rape charges.

Could it be because he claimed he didn't know the girl was under age? That she lied? Or is it just that it was so long ago that they don't care anymore?

He drugged and raped a 13 year old girl at a party at Jack Nicholson's house in 1978. He initially pled not guilty, but then accepted a plea bargain in which he would plead guilty to the lesser charges and serve probation. After undergoing a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation, he learned he would likely be either imprisoned or deported, and fled the country. He has been unable to return to the United States since under threat of immediate arrest. In fact, when he was nominated for an Oscar a few years back for The Pianist, federal authorities were waiting at the theater in case he showed.

I would be enormously disappointed in George if he accepted an award from this person. His occasional compliments toward Woody Allen bother me enough, never mind if he pals around with a child rapist for a trophy.

Missa - I wonder if George would see it like that. It's not as if he'd be going to the awards just to hang out with Polanski. He's apparently being honored for his lifetime of work by the French cinema industry. Should he turn the award down because they exhibit poor taste in their choice of Polanski as president of the jury? Maybe. I don't know. I guess it depends on how much he values the award - and the goodwill of the French film industry.

Yes, he should. Maybe that would appropriately shame the French film industry, which has given shelter to both Polanski and Allen.

"I am honored to have been considered for this extraordinary award. I have been lucky to work with many of you and hope to do so in the future. However, I cannot in good conscience accept an award from this jury. I remain grateful for your support, and look forward to attending the Cesar awards in the future."
Simple and direct, respectful of the award but clear about why he can't accept it. In any case, it's not like getting on the wrong side of the French film industry will make or break his career; getting his picture taken next to a child rapist, however, could and should damage his American film career. The People magazine minivan moms he courts with those "candid" photo ops won't care for that.

I think you all got it wrong.  The jury is to decide who will win the awards in the competition sections this year, and George should win the honorary award which is to celebrate his lifetime achievement. I think it's selected by the senior members or president of the French Academy. Has nothing to do with the jury.

You're making distinctions the scandal-obsessed American and international press will not. I don't think George wants to be in a position where he's promoting his Suburbicon and explaining, "No, see, the child rapist didn't give me the award, just the people he was working with."

It'll be interesting to see how he responds if he's selected. I don't think he was ever in the Academy Award audience for the occasions when someone controversial was nominated/honored (i.e., Polanski, Elia Kazan), and all eyes were on the attendees to see who applauded and who didn't.

Considering all that's going on at the moment, I'm not sure this  story will get much play here. There are much, much bigger things to worry about than George getting an award from a panel that includes Polanski.

The bad PR isn't even the point. "Don't associate with child rapists" is a pretty hard and fast rule for anyone with a moral compass. He should skip it because it's the right thing to do, even if no one notices. Especially if no one notices, since that's the true test of character: what we do when no one is looking.

Roman Polanski Pulls Out Of César Awards After Outcry From French Women’s Groups
Following an outcry from French women’s groups over the selection of Roman Polanski as President of next month’s César Awards, the filmmaker has pulled out of the post. Polanski’s attorney told Agence France Presse on Tuesday morning that he has renounced the position, but called the polemic “unjustified.” The Académie des Arts et Techniques, which oversees France’s equivalent to the Oscars, has not yet responded to Polanski’s decision.
The movement against Polanski has been led by feminist org Osez Le Feminisme, which called him “an author of sexual violence who remains unpunished, protected by his celebrity status.” The 83-year-old filmmaker has been wanted in the United States for 40 years over a 1977 child sex conviction. At the time, he cut a plea deal and served 42 days in prison, but fled the U.S. on the eve of sentencing when it appeared the judge in the case had moved the legal goalposts. The Chinatown and Pianist director has been a fugitive from American justice ever since, continuing to live and work largely in France. Multiple attempts to extradite him to the U.S. have stalled.
Osez Le Feminisme has also yet to respond to this morning’s revelation, but had earlier called for a protest of the Césars ceremony on February 24, saying it was “nauseated” by the Académie’s decision to offer Polanski the presidency. The role is a largely honorary title with no major function other than to speak at the beginning of the telecast and officially open the event.
A social media campaign that began last week has been accompanied by an online petition which had garnered over 61K signatures by this morning. According to local reports, Polanski’s attorney told AFP that the filmmaker had been “deeply saddened” by the controversy which had “affected his family.”
Polanski has been in and out of European courts as prosecutors have sought his extradition to the U.S. He holds dual citizenship in France and Poland, residing primarily in France. While French law prohibits extradition of its citizens, Polish law does not. In December, Poland’s supreme court upheld an earlier verdict that Polanski cannot be extradited to the U.S., bringing a definitive end to the case in the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s native country.
Previously, in 2009, Polanski was placed under house arrest in Switzerland while a similar extradition request was examined. He was released after nine months.
Samantha Geimer, the victim in the 1977 case, has repeatedly said she believes Polanski’s exile has been punishment enough. But the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has insisted he is subject to arrest in the United States.
Many in the French film industry refrained from commenting, although director Alexandre Arcady told Le Parisien, “The case was settled with the girl. Roman has paid a great deal… We are creating a controversy around a father who honors our cinema.” French actor François Berléand added, “I do not condone what Polanski did 40 years ago, but he is a man I deeply respect and he has a place at the Césars.”
Actor Gilles Lellouche also came to Polanski’s defense, “In France, we create polemics over everything… I think we have to be consistent. Polanski has lived in France for 40 years. The acts he is reproached for happened before his arrival in this country. For all these years, he has been making films… I’m not trying to excuse what happened, but why today more than yesterday should there be a scandal? What’s going on here? Are we becoming Americans? I don’t agree with that, and I’ll tell you, we’ve had enough with all these people who bark with the pack.”
Last week, Aurélie Filippetti, the former French Culture Minister, had defended the filmmaker as a “great director” who “should be allowed to preside over this ceremony.” Filippetti told Franco Info radio, “It’s something that happened 40 years ago. One cannot bring up this affair every time we talk about him… It’s just an awards ceremony.”
Alain Rocca, one of the six members of the committee that selects the president, had also told Le Monde he did not understand the “torrent of indignation.”
When the Académie released its announcement that Polanski would be president, it called the multiple César winner an “insatiable aesthete” and listed him as “an artist, filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, actor, director” adding, “There are a lot of words to define Roman Polanski, but only one to express our admiration and enchantment, thank you Mr President.”
César nominations will be announced tomorrow in Paris.
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............so let us guess how many awardees were boycotting the ceremony. Names for Cesars announced tomorrow............

Will the Oscars be similarly affected because of Casey Affleck's inclusion?

PAN - Well, at least now George can attend the Cesars with a clear conscience.

I doubt the Oscars will be affected, although in this age of PC uber alles I could be wrong. Not defending the behavior of any of these men, but I have a problem with damning a person's work because of their personal behavior.

Many less-than-perfect people have created beautiful, memorable things. Should their creations be ignored because the people who made them weren't up to our personal standards? Whatever happened to "Judge not, lest you be judged" and "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone"? Or better yet, the Golden Rule?

Confirmed

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Thanks to Frenchiesfans

Congratulations to George! Excited to watch another acception speech from him!

Okay, here's the cynic checking in. And please keep in mind that I'm not saying that George didn't/doesn't deserve these awards.

The Golden Globes honored George at the beginning of his earth-shattering marriage to Amal. First big public Hollywood event with the new couple. A coup for the Globes.

Now the news (rumor) is that she's pregnant. And lo and behold, George gets another honor. If she is pregnant, it will be the first big public confirmation viewing of the 'bump.' A coup for the Cesars.

Way2Old - So, they're honoring him because A) he found a permanent sex partner and then B) because he knocked her up?
What will he have to do to get his next award? Pull an Angelina?

As always, you hit the nail on the head.....

And it's in Europe, so she can flaunt the belly ( as she did The Ring), then go back into hiding in Sonning.  Give the woman her due- she got him to put a ring on it , and now... twins.   What superpower does this woman exactly have?  And don't tell me it's her brilliant brain.  I'm sure he's met/dated/boinked intelligent women before.

LizzyNY wrote:Way2Old -  So, they're honoring him because A) he found a permanent sex partner and then B) because he knocked her up?
What will he have to do to get his next award? Pull an Angelina?

Amal has an affair with the babies' security guard. George gets honorary BAFTA 2019.

Way2Old4Dis wrote:
Amal has an affair with the babies' security guard. George gets honorary BAFTA 2019.

  THEN can he pull an Angelina?! Maybe it'll get him a directing Oscar. Then he could bring the kids home to LA, run for governor of California and build his machine to become President of the USA. If Drumpf can do it, why not George?

Interesting...  

... and don't forget that George only appears at award shows when he's nominated. So they have to nominate him for an Oscar / Golden Globe / Bafta / Caesar / any other award in the world to get him to the show, no matter if he deserves the nomination. Which are always subjective anyway.

Everything allright with you? Or is your new POTUS driving you mad? *Irony off*

When?

it's me wrote:When?

When what?

When will him receive it?

It's me, the ceremony is February 24th. 

Oh right
The Oscar 
Not the Venice festival kind

Ok

PigPen wrote:I'm sure he's met/dated/boinked intelligent women before.

Not that we know about [meow!]

I'd describe melbert as intelligent.  Didn't she steal him away from whateverhername is 
( fill in any previous girlfriend du jour).

Melbert?
Tell us.....

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Great words from the Académie...

It's a lovely honor for our guy.  The French do have good taste.

George was interviewed on Canal + this morning. Here he is at home

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Thanks to Frenchiesfans.canalblog

Can we get rid of the French voice?
Anyway he looks great, so does the house.

The video doesn't work .

Annemarie, I'm posting it again

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but if this doesn't work just google Frenchiesfans.canalblog and you'll find it there.

To be honest, I'd be surprised if a lot of the American agencies don't pick this up very soon. It's his first interview for a while with a lot of thoughts about the US government and babies!

Thanks Pan. Hopefully we will get a version without the french voice.

OMG,  pan you can hear what he exactly says? I could barely recognize his voice. 
The most important message so far is he says Suburbicon is coming out this fall!

Well, obviously this is for the French audience. But if you turn the sound up to it's highest you can definitely hear everything he's saying........

......and it's some time in the fall so very vague. He has other things on his mind! But he was joking that Amal will be translating for him on the red carpet.........

Alright, I still can't figure out "EVERYTHING" he's said. Would you conclude his answers on Suburbicon and babies in particular?Thanks a lot.

He said were really excited and really happy , it's going to be an adventure . We have embraced all adventures with arms wide open. He said his friends have been teasing him.

He said it's going to change a lot of things but that's o.k that's life that's what it's supposed to be.

I'm not able to view the video. It freezes up soon after it starts. Amal's style site has a small clip which I could view but damn it is hard to hear George over the French voice. Thanks annemarie for making sense of some of it. Would really like to see the whole thing.

Okay. Here is another link to the same interview

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Let's see if this works. How is everybody's French?!

can anyone download it and put it online :-* pleaseeeee

Found an English version, just a shorter one.
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