Aronofksy talks Venice jury decisions, and praises Fassbender's orgasm scene

Speaking of Silver Lion winner Shangjun Cai’s People Mountain People Sea, Aronofsky said, “We were all impressed by how the film was made and I encourage all to go out and see it.”

He also elaborated on the impact Crialese’s film Terraferma had on them. “From the moment the jury saw Terraferma it was at the top of the list and it was just a matter of deciding which prize. It was one of the most successful films in competition as an entire film, and I think that in fact that there were political dimensions as well meant a lot as well and a tremendous performance by Filippo (Pucillo) and we all feel he is a new star.”

As for the acting awards, Aronofsky commented on the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress winners Shota Sometani and Fumi Kikaido: “The performances are just exceptional, explosive and capture adolescence. We wre really impressed with the movie (Himizu) and the young talent was exceptional. The boy Sato - is an incredibly beautiful actor who exploded in every way as did the girl.”

Of best actress winner Deanie Yip, of Aronofsky said: “I can’t believe how young and beautiful and sexy this woman is. We were all very moved by this film and the message of this film - it’s an issue we deal with in every part of the world and .. to see a journey from health to death with such generosity was very touching.

Aronofsky had some special praise for Michael Fassbender and Shame: “We were blown away by Shame and the cinematic power of it - the hard part is the many films deserved awards. Shame was an incredible journey…I want to say his (Fassbender’s) orgasm in the film is like the closing shots of [Fellini’s 1957] Nights of Cabiria. His collaboration with the director was inspiring and you can see the result of trust. Here is an actor who is fully, fully out there in every way and a filmmaker supporting it. It was a bravo performance.”