BERLIN (Reuters) - American director, screenwriter and producer Darren Aronofsky was named jury president for the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, the festival announced on Tuesday.
Aronofsky, whose "Black Swan" set in the ballet world was a big hit in 2010, and who also directed the biblical epic "Noah", will lead a jury whose other members have yet to be announced for the Berlinale festival which opens in February.
"At the Berlinale, the cinema is always exciting and fascinating," Aronofsky, 45 and a native of New York City, was quoted as saying in a press statement released by the festival.
"I am looking forward to watching the latest from the greatest in one of the great cities on the planet," he said.
Dieter Kosslick, the Berlinale's director, said that Aronofsky has distinguished himself as an outstanding filmmaker with a distinctive creative vision.
"In his artistic approach he consistently sounds out cinematic language and its aesthetic possibilities. I’m pleased to be able to welcome him as Jury President of the Berlinale 2015."
The Harvard-educated Aronofsky got his start making short films and released his first feature film, the surrealist thriller "Pi", in 1998.
His "Requiem for a Dream", a film based on the book of the same name, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000, while his cult film "The Fountain", depicting three parallel stories over a millennium, was shown at the Venice Film Festival in 2006.
His film "The Wrestler" won the Golden Lion award in Venice in 2008, and was a comeback vehicle for actor Mickey Rourke.
(Reporting by Michael Roddy; Editing by Louise Heavens)