WARSAW, Poland (December 4, 2006) — Roman Polanski was honored with a lifetime achievement award in the country of his childhood at the 19th annual European Film Awards.
“It’s a moving moment for me, of course, to receive this award, and particularly to receive it in Warsaw,” the 73-year-old filmmaker said.
Polanski was given the award for creating what the academy said “were some of the most unforgettable moments in cinema” with films such as “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Chinatown” and “The Pianist.” He won a best director Oscar for 2002’s “The Pianist.”
Though Polanski was forced into the Krakow ghetto under the Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II and lost his mother in Auschwitz, he singled out only happy memories of Warsaw. In particular, he recalled his first-ever visit to the capital, when at age 14 he had the lead role in a Soviet play and received an award at a theater festival.
“Tonight arriving here I felt very happy and I realized that every time I come to this city I feel somehow elated,” he said at Saturday’s ceremony. “For some strange reason, only good things happen to me in this city.”
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