Here is the SACD petition calling for the release of Roman Polanski, followed by a list of names as of Monday evening:

Petition for Roman Polanski

We have learned the astonishing news of Roman Polanski’s arrest by the Swiss police on September 26th, upon arrival in Zurich (Switzerland) while on his way to a film festival where he was due to receive an award for his career in filmmaking.

His arrest follows an American arrest warrant dating from 1978 against the filmmaker, in a case of morals.

Filmmakers in France, in Europe, in the United States and around the world are dismayed by this decision. It seems inadmissible to them that an international cultural event, paying homage to one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers, is used by the police to apprehend him.

By their extraterritorial nature, film festivals the world over have always permitted works to be shown and for filmmakers to present them freely and safely, even when certain States opposed this.

The arrest of Roman Polanski in a neutral country, where he assumed he could travel without hindrance, undermines this tradition: it opens the way for actions of which no one can know the effects.

Roman Polanski is a French citizen, a renown and international artist now facing extradition. This extradition, if it takes place, will be heavy in consequences and will take away his freedom.

Filmmakers, actors, producers and technicians — everyone involved in international filmmaking — want him to know that he has their support and friendship.

On September 16th, 2009, Mr. Charles Rivkin, the US Ambassador to France, received French artists and intellectuals at the embassy. He presented to them the new Minister Counselor for Public Affairs at the embassy, Ms Judith Baroody. In perfect French she lauded the Franco-American friendship and recommended the development of cultural relations between our two countries.

If only in the name of this friendship between our two countries, we demand the immediate release of Roman Polanski.

Polanski petition signatories:

Pedro Almodovar

Asia Argento

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Wes Anderson

Darren Aronofsky

Fanny Ardant

Asia Argento

Olivier Assayas

Gabriel Auer

Christophe Barratier

Gilles Behat

Marco Bellochio

Monica Bellucci

Jean-Jacques Beineix

Patrick Bouchitey

Jacques Bral

André Buytaers

Christian Carion

Henning Carlsen

Jean-Michel Carre

Patrice Chéreau

Elie Chouraqui

Souleymane Cissé

Alain Corneau

Jérôme Cornuau

Miguel Courtois

Alfonso Cuaron

Jonathan Demme

Alexandre Desplat

Georges Dybman

Betrand van Effenterre

Jacques Fansten

Michel Ferry

Stephen Frears

Thierry Frémaux

Sam Gabarski

Tony Gatlif

Costa Gavras

Jean-Marc Ghanassia

Christian Gion

David Heyman

Laurent Heynemann

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Gilles Jacob

Just Jaeckin

Pierre Jolivet

Nelly Kaplan

Wong Kar Waï

Jan Kounen

Harmony Korinne

Emir Kusturica

John Landis

Claude Lanzmann

Patrice Leconte

Michael Mann

François Margolin

Mario Martone

Radu Mihaileanu

Jeanne Moreau

André Larquié

Claude Lelouche

Claude Miller

Michel Ocelot

Alexander Payne

Michele Placido

Jean-Paul Rappeneau

Yasmina Reza

Laurence Roulet

Walter Salles

Jean-Paul Salomé

Marc Sandberg

Julian Schnabel

Barbet Schroeder

Ettore Scola

Abderrahmane Sissako

Paolo Sorrentino

Tilda Swinton

Radovan Tadic

Danis Tanovic

Bertrand Tavernier

Cécile Telerman

Alain Terzian

Pascal Thomas

Giuseppe Tornatore

Serge Toubiana

Nadine Trintignant

Tom Tykwer

Wim Wenders