The film, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, is about a family in Texas in the 1950s, but is also a meditation on the meaning of life. The Tree of Life is only the fifth movie from Terrence Malick in almost 40 years.
Among others, Best actor award went to French performer Jean Dujardin for the silent film The Artist.
Best actress was won by US actress Kirsten Dunst for her role in the apocalyptic psychodrama Melancholia.
