DOGVILLE - VON TRIER: DOGVILLE TOO 'PROVOCATIVE' FOR CANNES WIN

Danish DOGVILLE director LARS VON TRIER is convinced his CANNES FILM FESTIVAL loss is down to his movie being too "provocative" for the jury.

Dogville, starring Hollywood heavyweight NICOLE KIDMAN, was a hot favourite to give controversial Von Trier an unprecedented second prized PALME D'OR following his 2000 win for DANCER IN THE DARK - but GUS VAN SANT's ELEPHANT was voted the best film of the French film festival instead.

However, producer VIBEKE WINDELOV claims Von Trier was happy to miss out, even though she and Kidman were terrified at how the film-maker would react.

She says, "When we spoke to him he was in a very good mood, and reacted by saying that we had to now attack the next film.

"He told me, 'Now I know that what I'm doing is right. But it was so provocative that (the jury) did not want to award it.' The worst thing would have been to receive a consolation prize."

The film had attracted controversy for its supposed anti-American stance, which Von Trier alluded to during the festival.