If he was indeed joking, Lars Von Trier needs to work a bit on his act, not to mention the material. The notoriously difficult Danish director shocked the crowd at France’s Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday by proclaiming, during a panel about his new film, “Melancholia,” “I understand Hitler, but I think he did some wrong things, yes. … But I understand much about him, and I sympathize with him a little bit.”

And that wasn’t all he said, as the clip below shows. Cannes officials responded by banning Von Trier from the festival, despite his attempts to apologize. –KA

BBC:

The 55-year-old is a previous winner of the festival’s Palme d’Or award and is renowned for courting controversy.

The festival said it had been “disturbed” by the 55-year-old’s comments and had asked him to “provide an explanation”.

“The director states that he let himself be egged on by a provocation,” its initial statement read.

“The festival is adamant that it would never allow the event to become the forum for such pronouncements on such subjects.”

Read more

The Telegraph via YouTube:

 Dig, Root, Grow

This year, we’re all on shaky ground, and the need for independent journalism has never been greater. A new administration is openly attacking free press — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Your support is more than a donation. It helps us dig deeper into hidden truths, root out corruption and misinformation, and grow an informed, resilient community.

Independent journalism like Truthdig doesn't just report the news — it helps cultivate a better future.

Your tax-deductible gift powers fearless reporting and uncompromising analysis. Together, we can protect democracy and expose the stories that must be told.

Dig. Root. Grow. Cultivate a better future.

Donate today.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG
In this Article:
#adolf hitler#anti-semitism#cannes#film festival#israel#jewish#nazi