Eerder dit jaar zorgde regisseur Lars von Trier (Dogville) voor heel wat opschudding toen hij tijdens de persconferentie voor zijn nieuwe film Melancholia zei dat hij enige sympathie had voor Adolf Hitler, zonder iets tegen Joden te hebben. Hij bood vrij snel zijn excuses aan voor zijn uitlatingen, maar de schade was reeds berokkend en Von Trier werd van het festival verbannen.

Von Trier heeft het hoofdstuk schijnbaar nog niet afgesloten aangezien hij nu terugkomt op zijn verontschuldiging. Hij geeft aan dat hij totaal geen spijt heeft van wat hij gezegd heeft. Tijdens een interview met GQ zei de regisseur het volgende:

I'm not sorry... I'm sorry that I didn't make it clear that it was a joke. But I can't be sorry for what I said--it's against my nature... I don't think there is a right or wrong thing to say. I think that anything can be said. That is very much me. The same with film--anything can be done in a film. If it can be thought in the human mind, then it could be said and it could be seen on a film. Of course you get troubles for it afterwards, that's for sure, but that doesn't make it wrong. To say I'm sorry for what I said is to say I'm sorry for what kind of a person I am, I'm sorry for my morals, and that would destroy me as a person. It's not true. I'm not sorry. I am not sorry for what I said. I'm sorry that it didn't come out more clearly. I'm not sorry that I made a joke, but I'm sorry that I didn't make it clear that it was a joke. But I can't be sorry for what I said--it's against my nature.

Hij maakte destijds dus een grapje, maar hij vergat er bij te zeggen dat het een grapje was. Hij heeft er spijt van dat hij dit niet meteen duidelijk maakte, maar hij heeft er zeker geen spijt van dat hij de grap überhaupt maakte.

Hieronder nog eens zijn uitlatingen tijdens Cannes, zowel uitgeschreven als op video:

For a long time I thought I was a Jew and I was happy to be a Jew, then I met Susanne Bier and I wasn't so happy. No, that was a joke, sorry... But it turned out I was not a Jew, and if I had been a Jew I'd have been a second-rate Jew, because there's kind of a... hierarchy in the Jewish population. But no, I really wanted to be a Jew but then I found out I was really a Nazi. Because my family was German, which also gave me some pleasure. What can I say? I understand Hitler... I think he did some wrong things, yes absolutely. But I can see him sitting in his bunker at the end... [Looking at an audibly reacting Kirsten Dunst] What? There will come a point at the end of this... I will...No, I'm just saying I think I understand the man. He's not what you would call a "good guy" but I understand much about him. I sympathize with him a little bit. I don't mean I'm in favor of World War II and I'm not against Jews, not even Susanne Bier. That was also a joke. In fact I'm very much in favor of them. All Jews. Well, Israel is a pain in the ass but... Now how can I get out of this sentence? [laughter] No, I just want to say about the art- I'm very much for... Speer, is it? Albert Speer I liked. He was also maybe one of god's best children, but he had some talent. It was possible for him to use during... [giving up] Ok. I'm a Nazi.