30 Most Memorable Oscar Moments From The Last 30 Years

16. Statutory Rapist Roman Polanski Wins Best Director (2003)

Roman Polanski's Holocaust drama may have lost Best Picture to Chicago, but the filmmaker did scoop the Best Director Oscar, which had to be accepted in absentia as Polanski fled the U.S. years prior to avoid being sentenced for his 1977 statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.

The clip of Polanski's win is especially wince-inducing, especially when viewed today in the midst of #MeToo, as the likes of Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and, uh, Harvey Weinstein can be seen enthusiastically clapping for his victory.

In 2009, over 100 high-profile directors and actors, including Scorsese, Woody Allen, David Lynch, Wes Anderson, Tilda Swinton, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron, Terry Gilliam and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu signed a petition calling for the charges against the director to be dropped. Oof.

As skilful as Polanski's direction was, him being nominated barely 15 years ago is a major black mark on an establishment currently trying to champion female empowerment. To the Academy's mild credit, Polanski was at least expelled from the organisation last year.