Russian film Faust wins Golden Lion award

Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov won the Golden Lion award at the Venice film festival on Saturday for ‘Faust’, a visceral take on Goethes play which explores the theme of corrupting power.There are films which make you dream, which make you cry, laugh and think, and there are films which change your life forever. This is one of those films, said jury head Darren Aronofki, saying the decision had been unanimous.Beating 22 other films to the prize, the stomach-turning movie is the final instalment of Sokurovs cinematic tetralogy on the nature of power, following his acclaimed portraits of Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Lenin and Emperor Hirohito.Sokurov is the second Russian director ever to win the Golden Lion, after it was awarded to Andrei Zviaguintsev for The Return in 2003.The Silver Lion director award went to Chinas Cai Shangjun for his revenge tale People Mountain People Sea, this years surprise addition to the festival line-up, in which a man ceaselessly hunts down his brothers killer.The film has been censured in China, revealing as it does the appalling conditions in a Chinese mine.As expected, best actor went to German-born Irishman Michael Fassbender, who plays an emotionally dysfunctional executive addicted to sex in Steve McQueens powerful Shame.Rising star Fassbender -- of Inglorious Basterds and Hunger fame -- also appeared in another film in the competition this year, David Cronenbergs A Dangerous Method, where he played psychoanalyst Carl Jung.Best actress went to Deanie Yip for her portrayal of an elderly maid in a moving tale of the trials of growing old gracefully, A Simple Life.The jury at the worlds oldest film festival also included US director Todd Haynes, Finnish Eija-Liisa Ahtila, British David Byrne, Italian Mario Martone and Alba Rohrwacher, and French Andre Techine.The punted favourites -- Roman Polanskis grotesque comedy of manners Carnage and George Clooneys political thriller The Ides of March -- went home empty handed, as did Tomas Alfredsons much praised Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy.