DARREN ARONOFSKY NAMED PRESIDENT OF BERLINALE JURY

Darren Aronofsky has been chosen to preside over the jury at the 65th edition of the Berlin Film Festival — the Berlinale — next year. His award winning films, which include The Wrestler, Black Swan, and Pi, ave received the top prize for directing at such festivals as Sundance and Venice as well as the Independent Spirit Award and the Online Film Critics Society Award — but never at the Berlinale. In a statement, Dieter Kosslick, director of the festival, said that Aronofsky — whose most recent film was this year’s Noah — “has distinguished himself as an outstanding protagonist in contemporary auteur cinema. In his artistic approach he consistently sounds out cinematic language and its aesthetic possibilities.” Said Aronofsky: “I am looking forward to watching the latest from the greatest in one of the great cities on the planet.” The festival is scheduled to open on Feb. 5 and run through the 15th.