Polanski's latest film, "The Pianist", wins Golden Palm tribute at Cannes

Roman Polanski won the Cannes film festival's Golden Palm award yesterday fo r the "The Pianist" a film which tells the story of one man's survival in th e Warsaw ghetto during World War II. It is the first time that Polanski has taken the top prize at the festival. "I'm honored and moved to receive this prestigious prize for a film which represents Poland," he said, but went on to say "The exciting thing about finding this material was that it was not m y personal story". Polanski was born in France to Jewish parents but later r eturned to Poland where his mother died in a concentration camp. US actor Ad rien Brody, who stars as Wladyslaw Szpilman the pianist who managed to escap e deportation, said he spent six months in isolation to prepare for the part . The film draws on Polanski's experiences in the Krakow ghetto. (Reuters, G azeta Wyborcza, p. 1) A.Z.