[2] International competition jury, led by Wim Wenders, awarded Golden Lion to The Wrestler, directed by Darren Aronofsky.

[3] Featured in the 65th film festival was a restored version of Federico Fellini's 1952 comedy The White Sheik with forty minutes of newly discovered footage.

[4] Films screened out of competition included 35 Shots of Rum by Claire Denis, Abbas Kiarostami's Shirin, and an autobiographical documentary by Agnès Varda.

[2] The record for the longest film at the festival went to Philippine director Lav Diaz's Melancholia, with a running time of approximately seven and a half hours, and which was included in the Orizzonti competition section.

[5][6][7] The festival was dedicated to the late Egyptian director Youssef Chahine, who was notable for his contributions to Arab cinema.