Mel Gibson Makes Public Appearance, Gets Standing Ovation

Except for giving his daughter away at the altar, Mel Gibson has kept a very low profile ever since the incident in July, in which he insulted a female police officer, resisted arrest and made anti-Semitic remarks while he was being cuffed.

During the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, the uncut and unedited version of Gibson's latest movie 'Apocalypto' was premiered and its director and writer, also Gibson, made a surprise visit. To his surprise, those who attended the premiere seemed to have put behind them the incident that sent the entire Hollywood in a rage, as they greeted him with a standing ovation and a frenzy of loud applause.

Addressing the crowd in a question-and-answer type of presentation of the movie, the actor/director drew a parallel between his own movie and the current situation in Iraq. Gibson accused the American political system of doing the same thing to young people all over the US, who suffer just as the ancient Mayan society depicted in his movie suffered.

'The prosecutors to a civilization that's going under are the same, time and time again. What's human sacrifice if not sending guys off to Iraq fro no reason?', Gibson said after the 'Apocalypto' premiere. The controversial movie will see its national debut in US cinemas this December.