GDYNIA, Poland — Director Roman Polanski is attending a film festival in Poland, despite the fact that the U.S. may seek his extradition.
Polanski, who fled the U.S. in 1977 after pleading guilty to sex with a 13-year-old girl, is at the Gdynia Film Festival to deliver a masterclass for film school students and present a screening of his film “Venus in Fur.” He arrived late Thursday. Both events are on Friday.
Polanski, who was born in France but educated in Poland, lives in France. He holds dual French-Polish citizenship.
The U.S. and Poland inked an extradition treaty in 1997, but it does not oblige the states to extradite their own citizens, although they have the power to do so. It states:
“Article 4 (1) provides that neither Contracting State shall be required to extradite its nationals, but the Executive Authority of the Requested State shall have the discretionary power to do so.”
Polanski was arrested when he traveled to the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland in 2009. After a lengthy period under house-arrest at his chalet in Gstaad he was freed after the U.S. authorities failed to extradite him.
Polanski visited Poland last in 2011 for a friend’s funeral.
Photo above was taken on August 27 in Paris, France.
