Cannes bars filmmaker Lars von Trier over Hitler gaffe

Published on Thursday 19 May 2011 16:22

Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier was kicked out of the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, after saying he sympathised with Adolf Hitler.

Festival president Gilles Jacob said Mr von Trier had been banned from the rest of this year's festival, although he would not elaborate if the filmmaker might be allowed back in future. It was an unprecedented move by the festival that in 2000 bestowed its highest honour on one of his earlier films, Dancer in the Dark. Mr von Trier's comments had "stained the reputation for the festival" and its 28-member board of directors felt it had to respond, Mr Jacob said.

Von Trier's latest film Melancholia remains in competition for all Cannes prizes - including the Palme d'Or award - but if it wins at Sunday's closing ceremony, he will not be allowed to attend.

At a news conference on Wednesday, he said in a rambling speech that he understood and sympathised with Hitler. He later apologised.

He had told reporters he had some compassion for the Nazi leader. "What can I say? I understand Hitler, but I think he did some wrong things, yes, absolutely. But I can see him sitting in his bunker in the end," he said. "He's not what you would call a good guy, but I understand much about him, and I sympathise with him a little bit. But come on, I'm not for the Second World War, and I'm not against Jews … I am very much for Jews. No, not too much, because Israel is a pain in the a**."

Later he said he had been joking. He said. "This whole Nazi thing, I don't know where it came from, but you spend a lot of time in Germany, you sometimes want to feel a little free and just talk about this…"