Filmmaker and professional provocateur Lars Von Trier got himself neck-deep in trouble at last year's Cannes Film Festival when he made some bad jokes, claiming to sympathize with Hitler, at a press conference, after the screening of his film Melancholia.
Despite his apologies, saying that he was only trying to be funny and shocking for shock's sake, the Cannes' board of directors threw him out of the festival on his royal arse, and labeld von Trier a "persona non grata" from the festival.
Yesterday came word that the French film The Anti-Semite, starring the controversial French/Cameroon comedian Dieudonne (full name Dieudonne M'Bala M'bala) was banned at this year's Cannes Film Market (Not the festival itself, but the film market during the festival, where films are marketed to overseas buyers).
Cannes officials stated that they "banned the film from the market because of its policy of banning works that could offend religious beliefs or otherwise stir violence."
Jemore Paillard, the executive director of the Cannes Film Market, told the media that "our general conditions ban the presence of all films threatening public order or religious convictions as well as pornographic films or those inciting violence."
In the film, which was produced by the Iranian Documentary and Experimental Film Center (which explains who would finance a film called The Anti-Semite), Dieudonne stars as a violent alcoholic who dresses up as Nazi officer at a party.
The film also features Robert Faurisson, the notorious 83 year old British Holocaust denier who has spent most of the last 30 years in and out of court rooms, because of his far-out claims which are illegal to publicly state in many foreign countries.
Though there's no description of what he plays in the film, or if it's a cameo role as himself, Faurisson has even appeared on stage with Dieudonne and he's made videos with him, making jokes about the Holocuast.
In fact, in 2009, Faurisson was awarded the Prix de l'infréquentabilité et de l'insolence (the Insolent Outcast Prize) by Dieudonne in a public mock ceremony. The person who gave the award to Faurisson was an associate of Dieudonne who was dressed as a concenration camp prisoner, with a yellow Star of David badge on his uniform.
Dieudonne, has made quite a name for himself in France, not only because of his reported anti-Semitic remarks and antics, and his association with Faurisson and other Holocaust deniers, but also with his close ties to Jean Marie Le Pen's ultra right wing, anti-immigrant National Front Party, now headed by Le's Pen daughter Marine.
(Don't ask me to explain how someone from a Cameroonian family got to be best buds with the Le Pens. You can't make this stuff up folks. Somethimes it just writes itself )
And if that wasn't enough, Diieubonne was also banned in Montreal, earlier this month, from performing four planned concerts, after Jewish groups protested that his act would include anti-Semitic material.
After all that, I'll bet you're curious to see something of this film of his. Well this was all I could find: