Polanski Won’t Introduce “The Ghost Writer”

By our guest blogger, Lita Robinson

Roman Polanski, still under house arrest in the Swiss ski-resort town of Gstaad, will not be introducing his new film, “The Ghost Writer,” at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.

Variety reports that Polanski won’t be appearing in person or sending any sort of video missive to be shown with his latest effort, which stars Ewan MacGregor, Kim Cattrall and Pierce Brosnan, and opens in the US in limited release February 19, 2010 (wider release begins March 5).

Currently, Polanski is fighting a US extradition order stemming from his 1977 trial in Los Angeles on charges of having sex with a 13-year-old girl. Most recently, Polanski’s request to be sentenced in absentia--a tactic which might have allowed him to avoid extradition altogether--was denied by a Los Angeles judge. The Berlin Film Festival, which runs February 11-21 this year, will steam ahead without him, as Polanski and his legal team try to figure out their next move.