When rumors circulated that the scheduled his films about Frank Sinatra and Jesus were postponedthere was speculation that the Martin Scorsese can be withdrawn.

But the legendary director, screenwriter and producer has now put an end to the rumours: “I’m not saying goodbye to cinema at all” he said during a press conference at the Cinema Museum in Turin, Italy. “I still have many films to make and I hope God will give me the strength to make them.”

Scorsese traveled to Turin to receive the Cinema Museum’s prestigious Stella della Mole award on Monday night. Actor Willem Dafoe, Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore and production designer Dante Ferretti were there to honor him, according to THR.

During a discussion with reporters in Turin, Scorsese revealed his thoughts on the upcoming US election.

“When we were shooting ‘Gangs of New York’ at Cinecittà, we portrayed a violent, bloody 19th century America with a brutal character – Bill the Butcher, played by Daniel Day Lewis. People like this show up again. We don’t know what will happen in a few weeks.” said Martin Scorsese referring to the November 5th US election. “Democracy could continue or this experiment could end.”

The Sicilian-born American director, once again comparing the current political climate to the 2002 historical epic, which chronicled the conflict between rival Irish gangs in New York in the late 1800s, added: “I never thought I’d live such a moment. It reminds me of Federico Fellini, who, while filming Satyricon, said as he walked around Rome: “I feel like I’m back in ancient Roman times.” Now I feel like we’re back in the world of ‘Gangs of New York,’ a movie about the violent clashes between immigrant ethnic groups fighting for control of New York and, metaphorically, America.”

Turin Cinema Museum president Enzo Gigo and outgoing director Domenico De Gaetano spoke about Scorsese, who also touched on his current film project, which focuses on Italy.

“I shoot between Ustica and Taormina. It’s a documentary about underwater archaeology,” Scorsese revealed. The film is based on the research project “Shipwreck of Sicily”led by British underwater archaeologist Lisa Briggs, who is using DNA analysis on objects recovered from ancient shipwreck sites to reconstruct the stories of ships, sailors and cargo from ancient times.