Venice Film Festival: Masucci wanted to work with Polanski

German actor Milan Peschel (55 years old), who plays the lead role in the film, also expressed his gratitude for the experience and felt proud, as he put it. The events of “The Palace” take place in a Swiss hotel on New Year’s Eve before the year 2000. In the noble hotel, whose manager is played by Masucci, a strange band gathers to celebrate the new millennium. It also stars Mickey Rourke and Fanny Ardant, among others.

Polanski himself did not come to Venice. Producer Luca Barbareschi said marketing the film was difficult. To date there is no French film distributor, nor has it sold any distribution rights in Great Britain or the USA. Barbareschi explained that Polanski’s last film, “An Officer and a Spy,” which screened at the 2019 Venice Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize, was also not shown in theaters in the United States, Britain, Australia or New Zealand.

“We ask ourselves why there are wars,” Barbareschi said. “The Anglo-Saxon world should respect artists like the rest of the world,” adding: “There is no moral judgment on art.” He confirmed that Polanski’s films are shown on many streaming providers such as Netflix and are bringing in “millions” to these platforms. “Can someone explain to me the logic behind that?” he asked.

Since the #MeToo movement emerged in 2017, numerous women have accused Polanski of sexual assault, especially in the 1970s. The accusations he denies. The sexual assault case against him has been ongoing in the United States for more than 40 years. Since then, he lives mostly in France and avoids visiting countries that have concluded an extradition treaty with the United States.