The director of Studio Galande explains that he “was trapped” by the distributor of The palace. In the only session held, the protesters showed up in front of the cinema. As well as the distributor, very unhappy.
“I wasn’t aware of these stories about Polanski.” The director of the Studio Galande cinema, in the V cinemaAnd neighborhood of Paris, Hicham Benmohammed, is the only professional to have programmed the screenings of Roman Polanski’s new film in Paris, The palace . But in the afternoon the director announced to us that he would definitively cancel the film. Hicham Benmohammed assures that he is not aware of Roman Polanski’s legal affairs. He thinks he is “professional misconduct”, “negligence” for planning it. Also explain “being trapped” by the distributor who “the film sold well.”
“I will delete everything” he finally explained, very embarrassed. But this decision will be made in the afternoon, while The palace is expected, he reserved the possibility of holding just one session, the same evening. If spectators turn out in large numbers for the 8pm session, “out of respect for the public”, he won’t send them home.
“Polanski, isn’t that a problem?”
Just before 8pm in front of the cinema we mostly noticed protesters. Equipped with banners and placards, the eleven women and one man booed every spectator who entered, singing “we see you rapists” OR “we believe you Lewis », reference to actress Charlotte Lewis, who accuses the director of rape. On their main banner, the writer has been renamed «Violansky». “What do you want us to tell you? explains one. Are we going to tell you that it’s a shame that he was included in the list, that he was found guilty and that, since it’s Polanski, it’s not a problem? In 1977, the director was sentenced to 90 days in prison after pleading guilty to illicit sexual relations with a 13-year-old minor, Samantha Geimer. Since then, the United States has repeatedly called for him to be extradited to stand trial again.
Not enough to discourage those who came to see the film. In the end the cinema sold 45 seats, a pretty good night for the small venue. The audience, mostly in their sixties, is happy that at least one theater has presented The palace. Joëlle and Régis, neighbors of the cinema, rushed over at 7.30pm to take their seats. “I really like Polanski, he’s a good director.” Despite the less than encouraging reviews, they preferred it “form your own opinion”. Maxime, in his forties, came specially from Issy-les-Moulineaux. He considers it“there are so many people working on the production of the film, you have to think that they are not Polanski”. Alessio passed “simple curiosity”while walking in the Latin Quarter.
Roman Polanski’s latest film, The palace, had been presented out of competition at the Venice Exhibition in the month of September. According to our journalist Étienne Sorin, the controversial filmmaker’s satire on the ultra-rich is a monumental failure. And he hadn’t found a distributor for theatrical release until the last few weeks. “I don’t understand the cabal around Polanski, a ninety-year-old director who lives in Paris and is still active,” he explained Sébastien Tiveyrat to head Swashbuckler Films, announcing he would take the job “For me it was inconceivable that a work by this cinematic genius would remain invisible in French cinemas,” he explained then without having seen the film.
A “good advertisement” for the room
At the end of the session the protesters left and most of the audience seemed quite satisfied with the evening. But a man does not hide his anger. Sébastien Tiveyrat, having learned of the deprogramming of the film and after having had a telephone conversation with Roman Polanski, went to the location to ask the director of the theater for explanations. The distributor calls it a scandal, explains that the theater will lose money with this decision and even claims that it is “good publicity” for this small arthouse cinema. But Hicham Benmohammed doesn’t budge: the film won’t be shown a second time at his house.
Roman Polanski, 90, is accused of rape and sexual assault by a total of ten women. He makes accusations that he categorically denies. While 77And The Cannes festival has just begun and the new wave of Metoo is spreading on the Croisette and in the world of cinema more generally, the man has become one of the symbols of violence against women, while a murky veil now covers his filmography. In 2020, he received his fifth César for his film I accuse, during a memorable ceremony marked by feminism and anger. This week, when he was sued for defamation by the British actress Carlotta Lewis, Roman Polanski was acquitted by the Paris court. He had qualified “hateful lies” the actress’s rape allegations.