A judge on Tuesday denied Roman Polanski's request to restore his membership in the organization that bestows the Academy Awards two years after he was expelled from it for raping a minor.
The fugitive film director sued in April 2019, asking the court to compel the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to make him a member in good standing again.
A year earlier, the academy made the rare move of expelling Polanski and Bill Cosby, months after ending the membership of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Polanski appealed the decision, and in January 2019 the academy rejected his appeal.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel on Tuesday ruled that the academy had a right to expel Polanski, afforded him a fair hearing and gave him sufficient notice of his expulsion. She adopted a tentative ruling that she had issued earlier on Tuesday as her final order.
Harland Braun, Polanski's lawyer said the 87-year-old director has no plans to appeal Strobel's decision.
"Roman's membership in the academy is pretty worthless and we would not waste legal fees for an appeal for no real purpose," Braun said in an email Tuesday to The Associated Press. "Roman is one of the greatest directors in movie history. His art will survive long after the academy is a forgotten relic."
An email seeking comment from academy officials wasn't immediately returned. In 2019 the academy said in a statement that "the procedures taken to expel Mr. Polanski were fair and reasonable."
Polanski, who won a best director Oscar for "The Pianist" in 2003, remains a fugitive after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in 1977 and fleeing the United States the following year. He has been living in Europe since.
He had been an academy member for nearly 50 years at the time of his expulsion, and his films had been nominated for 28 Oscars.
But he had long been one of the organization's more divisive members. At the 2003 ceremony, Polanski's win — his first — received a standing ovation. He was not in attendance. He'd previously been nominated for writing his adaptation of "Rosemary's Baby," and directing "Chinatown" and "Tess."
Polanski's ouster from the group means he can no longer vote for nominees and winners, but he and his films can still win Oscars.
After expelling Weinstein, the academy implemented revised standards of conduct for its over 8,400 members. The standards said the organization is no place for "people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates standards of decency."
The standards allowed the academy's board to suspend or expel those who violate the code of conduct or "compromise the integrity" of the academy.
Avid completes acquisition of Wolftech
Avid®, known for software solutions for professional media production, has completed the acquisition of Wolftech Broadcast Solutions, a leader in cloud-based multiplatform news planning, production and publishing solutions.
The acquisition enables Avid to combine its digital-first, end-to-end media solution with Wolftech’s expertise in story-centric workflow management. News organizations will be able to increase efficiency and accelerate story delivery through enhanced remote collaboration and multiplatform amplification.
Avid CEO Wellford Dillard stated, “Wolftech is unquestionably on the leading edge of where the industry is going, and this acquisition demonstrates Avid’s commitment to transform news, sports, and live production workflows. We are delighted to welcome Wolftech into the Avid family.”
Wolftech CEO Arne Berven added, “We were focused on finding a partner that could accelerate the adoption of our platform globally. We explored a number of possibilities, but when we talked to Avid, we knew it was the right match.”
The closing of the acquisition follows Avid’s announcement on October 7 that the company had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wolftech.
With this acquisition, Avid deepens the integration between the two toolsets while continuing to embrace an open approach in partnering with a wide range of media production tools and newsroom systems. Existing Wolftech customers will benefit from Avid’s global scale for customer support and professional services.
Ian Axton, head of production operations for ITV News, said, “As a customer of both Avid and Wolftech we’re excited about the benefits this acquisition will bring to our users and our business. Wolftech has transformed... Read More