Polanski named best director at Berlinale

A Turkish film which tells the story of a six-year-old boy who stops speaking when his father disappears – Bal (or Honey) – won the top honour at this year’s Berlin film festival today.

Roman Polanski won the award for best director for 'The Ghost Writer'. The film’s producers accepted the award on behalf of the 76f-year-old, who is under house arrest in Switzerland.

Producer Alain Sarde said Polanski told him he would not have attended the festival had he been free because the last time he travelled to accept an award he “landed in jail”.

Polanski is under house arrest at his chalet in Gstaad, awaiting a Swiss decision on whether to extradite him to the US to face possible further sentencing in a 32-year-old sex case.