VENICE, Italy, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. film director Steven Soderbergh quelled rumors of his retirement at the Venice Film Festival.
The Oscar-winning director told reporters Saturday at the Venice Film Festival that he does not intend to give up film-making, but rather plans on taking a break, the BBC reported.
"It's less dramatic that it sounds -- it's just a sabbatical," said Soderbergh, 48.
"I feel I need to recalibrate, so I can discover something new," he told The Observer.
Soderbergh didn't give any indication as to how long his sabbatical would be, but reports say it could be as long as five years.
In 1989, Soderbergh became the youngest winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival at 26 years old for his film "Sex, Lies, and Videotape.
Soderbergh's upcoming film "Contagion" premiered in Venice on Saturday and is in the running for the Golden Lion, the top award at the festival.
