Melancholia director says he was egged on by a provocation.

The Cannes Film Festival has issued a statement condemning statements made by Lars Von Trier in his official press conference for Melancholia in which he called himself a Nazi and that he “sympathized with Hitler a little bit.”

“The Festival de Cannes was disturbed about the statements made by Lars von Trier in his press conference this morning in Cannes,” said the official festival response.

“Therefore the Festival asked him to provide an explanation for his comments.The director states that he let himself be egged on by a provocation. He presents his apology. The direction of the Festival acknowledges this and is passing on Lars von Trier’s apology. The Festival is adamant that it would never allow the event to become the forum for such pronouncements on such subjects.”

Von Trier said in his apologetic statement: “If I have hurt someone this morning by the words I said at the press conference, I sincerely apologise. I am not antisemitic or racially prejudiced in any way, nor am I a Nazi.”