Lars Von Trier calls himself a Nazi at Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival declared Danish filmmaker Lars Von Trier a “persona non grata” and banned him from the festival Wednesday for saying he sympathizes with Hitler. The remarks came as the filmmaker told an awkward, rambling joke during a news conference to promote his film “Melancholia.”

“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,” von Trier said. “He’s not what you would call a good guy, but I understand much about him, and I sympathize 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 ass.”

Festival President Gilles Jacob said Von Trier had been banned from participating in the rest of this year’s festival, including accepting the coveted Palme d’Or should his film, which remains in competition, win. Though it unclear whether the director is banned just for the remainder of this year or for future years.

Von Trier, whose “Dancer in the Dark” was awarded the festival’s top honors back in 2000, offered an explanation for his remarks after the interview.

“I don’t have so much to say, so I kind of have to improvise a little and just to let the feelings I have kind of come out into words,” Von Trier told The Associated Press. “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 (expletive), you know?”

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