The director Roman Polanski is taking legal action, demanding to be reinstated to the organisation which awards the Oscars.

The board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) voted to expel Polanski - along with actor Bill Cosby - from its membership last May.

Its board of governors voted on their status in accordance with their Standards of Conduct.

The lawsuit was filed on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming that the expulsion did not give him a fair hearing.

However the film academy is standing behind its decision to expel Polanski.

Posters for the 2019 Academy Awards ceremony, seen at the Hollywood's Dolby Theatre in California | Image: Li Ying/Xinhua News Agency/PA Images

The AMPAS said in a statement that "the procedures taken to expel Mr Polanski were fair and reasonable."

Polanski (85) remains a fugitive in Europe, in an attempt to evade prosecution in the US.

He plead guilty in 1977 to the rape of a 13-year-old girl. He fled the US in 1978.

However a court in Poland ruled out extradition back in 2015.

Judge Dariusz Mazur explained that extradition would violate Polanski's human rights, as he may be subject to confinement.

"I find no rational answer to the question: what is the real point of the US extradition request?", Mazur said at the time.

He argued that Polankski had served his time during a 42-day US prison stint in 1977 and 10 months of house arrest in Switzerland - where US prosecutors unsuccessfully sought extradition.

Polanski won the Oscar for Best Director in 2003 for 'The Pianist'.