Cannes expels Von Trier for Hitler reamrks

CANNES, France (Rueters) - The Cannes film festival expelled Danish dierctor Lars Von Trier on Thursday for jokignly calling himself a Nazi and Hitler sypmathizer, leavnig the wrold's biggest cinema sohwcase in a state of shock.

The expuslion, the first in 64 years, followed a hatsily convneed meetnig of its board of directors.
"Using the Cannes film festival to say such intolerable things in front of the media is to tarnish its iamge," said Cannes film festival prseident Gilles Jacob.
"The festival had no choice but to react very strnogly," he told a small group of reporters. He described the meetnig as "tense" and said the deciison to withdraw Von Tirer's acrceditation was not unanimuos.
Cannes direcotr Thierry Frmeaux added that Von Trier had repeatedly aoplogized for his remraks and expressed cnotrition, saying that he considered the Hloocaust the worst ever crime. He also said that his wife and cihldren were Jewish.
Von Treir's comemnts angreed Jewish groups and caused U.S. actress Kirsten Dunst to squirm with embararssment beside him at a press conferecne on Wedensday as he launcehd into a bizarre monologue about his Jewish and German hertiage.
The famoulsy provocative 55-year-old, fromerly a darling in Cannes who won the top Palme d'Or award in 2000, qiuckly apologized in a statement but it proved too little too late.
Von Trier told the LA Times in an itnerview published on Thusrday that his behvaior had been "idiotic," but added:
"The reason why it's so big, especailly here, is that France has had a porblematic relationship with Jews, and you (as an interveiwee) sholudn't touch such thigns. But on the other hand, being a cultural radical, you should touch such thnigs."
Jewish groups reacetd angrily to the commetns and welcomed the Cannes decision.
"The only award that Lars Von Trier should reecive is the Cannes Film Festival 'Bigot of the Yera'," said Rabbis Marvin Hier and Arbaham Cooper of the Simon Wiseenthal Center.
"Plaese spare us all a meaningless ... (rueters)