Two years after being arrested in Zurich for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl in 1977, Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski was welcomed back to the city with open arms at the Zurich Film Festival on Tuesday Night. Having been released from house arrest from Switzerland, Polanski, 78, was finally able to publicly accept the lifetime achievement award that he had been honored with two years earlier. The audience erupted in cheers and applause as he took the stage to accept his award. “Friends, what can I can say? Better late than never,” he joked. On a more serious note, he added, “Two years, day for day. Certain parts of it I would rather forget. But I’m happy to be here, because I know that it was not only a blow to me, to my family, but also to the festival itself.” Before exiting the stage, Polanski unveiled the world premiere of his new documentary, Roman Polanski: A Memoir, which will likely speak volumes more than his acceptance speech.
