LONDON |
LONDON (Reuters) - Danish director Lars Von Trier said on Wednesday he faced charges for "possible violation" of French law that bans justifying war crimes after joking about Nazis and Hitler at the Cannes film festival in May.
In a statement, the controversial 55-year-old added that he would not make any more public statements or give interviews after police questioned him in Denmark on Wednesday in connection with charges made by the prosecution in Grasse, France.
"Due to these serious accusations I have realized that I do not possess the skills to express myself unequivocally and I have therefore decided from this day forth to refrain from all public statements and interviews," he said.
The award-winning director of films like "Breaking the Waves," "Dancer in the Dark" and "Antichrist" had been a favorite in Cannes before his remarks made during a press conference to promote his latest movie "Melancholia."
The apocalyptic vision of the end of the world was warmly received by critics, as was the performance of lead actress Kirsten Dunst. She went on to pick up the best actress prize at the closing ceremony.
Organizers at Cannes, where Von Trier had previously won the top Palme d'Or award, decided to ban him after he jokingly called himself a Nazi and Hitler sympathizer.
His remarks angered Jewish groups, but many festival goers said the punishment was unduly harsh on a director who was apparently speaking in jest and in English, not his first language.
Von Trier apologized, but the ban remained.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White)
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