Lars Von Trier banned from Cannes for sympathizing with Hitler

Mairav Zonszein By Mairav Zonszein May 19, 2011 | Edit

For the first time in Cannes Film Festival history, a director has been banned from the lavish event for making remarks that indicate support, even esteem, for Adolf Hitler. Sitting in a press conference beside his screen star Charlotte Gainsbourg – herself a descendant of Holocaust survivors, Danish director Lars Von Trier, best known for “Dancer in the Dark” and cofounder of the Dogme 95 collective, said about Hitler, “I think I understand the man.” He went on to say, “I’m not against Jews. I’m of course very much for Jews…no not too much…because Israel is a pain in the ass.”

Here is a video of the press conference – watch from about 34:30.

Actually I can understand Israel being a pain in the ass sometimes, but I don’t need to hear it from some Danish film director who goes on and on lauding Albert Speer (Hitler’s chief architect).

Mairav Zonszein

Mairav Zonszein is a journalist and editor who writes about Israel-Palestine and its role in U.S. politics. Her publications include The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New York Review of Books, The Intercept, VICE News, Foreign Policy and many more.

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