Alexander Sokurov wins Venice Film Festival

Director Alexander Sokurov's latest film Faust has won the Golden Lion, the top award at the Venice Film Festival, beating major contenders The Ides of March, A Dangerous Method and Tinker, Tailor Soldier, Spy amongst others. 

Sokurov's new take on the German story about the quest for knowledge at all cost stunned the jury at Venice. Featuring powerful performances from actors Johannes Zeiler, Isolda Dychauk and Anton Adasinsky, Faust is the last in the director's tetralogy, examining the relationship between man and power which began with Moloch in 1999 about Hitler, Taurus in 2000 about Lenin and The Sun in 2005 about Japanese Emperor Hirohito.