Roman Polanski Honored by Berlinale Jury

Feb. 22, 2010 — -- The 60th Berlin International Film Festival came to a close on Sunday a day after awarding the coveted Golden Bear to the Turkish family drama, "Honey." The jury made the controversial choice to give the Silver Bear to "The Ghost Writer" director to Roman Polanski, who is under house arrest in Switzerland. The acting gongs went to Shinoubu Terajima, the Japanese star of the harrowing anti-war film "Caterpillar" and to Girgori Dobrygin and Sergei Puskepalis, Russian co-stars of the Arctic drama "How I Ended This Summer."

The Turkish surprise winner, directed by Semih Kaplangolglu, was one of 20 contenders for the Golden Bear in a somewhat lacklustre competition this year. It is the third in a trilogy, following "Milk" and "Egg," tracing the life of a young boy, Yusuf in rural Turkey. Nature plays an important role in the film, which has no music, and stars eight-year-old Bora Altas. On accepting his award, the 46-year-old director called attention to Turkey's threatened wilderness near the Black Sea coast where much of the film is set.

Polanski's Silver Bear was accepted by the producer of "The Ghost Writer" Alain Sarde at the gala ceremony on Saturday evening. "I am sure Roman will be very happy," he said. "However, when I was lamenting with him that he cannot be with us, he said to me 'even if I could, I wouldn't because the last time I went to a festival to get a prize I ended up in jail.'"

Polanski, who fled the US in 1977 after admitting to having sex with a 13-year-old girl, was arrested on a US warrant in Zurich last September while on his way to accept an award. He is currently under house arrest and fighting extradition.