The 19th Hamptons International Film Festival highlighted more than 120 features and documentaries, short films, and student films, and also featured professional workshops and celebrity interviews. It was a whirl topped off by a busy party scene each night. The Audience Award for best narrative (feature) film went to Michel Hazanavicius's contemporary take on silent films, The Artist, starring Penelope Ann Miller and James Cromwell, who both attended. Marc Levin's Hard Times: Lost on Long Island got the Audience Award for best documentary.

Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon's The Fairy took HIFF's juried Golden Starfish Narrative Feature, and Fellipe Barbosa's Laura won the Golden Starfish for best documentary. The popular "Conversations" series had Alec Baldwin interviewing Matthew Broderick, Dick Cavett talking with Harry Belafonte, Bob Balaban chatting with Susan Sarandon, and Mike Aldo interviewing Rufus Wainwright. Annie Howell and Lisa Robinson won the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Feature Film Prize with Small, Beautifully Moving Parts, while Lee Hirsch's The Bully Project won the Brizzolara Family Foundation's award. Actor Matthew Modine came with a well-received short film.

Ciroc Vodka's opening-night party was at East Hampton Point. Baume & Mercier hosted the Friday party at Wolffer Estate Vineyard for breakthrough performers Anton Yelchin, Stine Fischer Christensen, Shailene Woodley, Alexander Skarsgard, Ezra Miller, and Emily Browning. Dina Lohan and Stephen Baldwin were at East Hampton Studio's film industry party, while Patricia Duff was on hand at HIFF chairman Stuart Match Suna's reception for Italy's sister festival, in Perugia. East Hampton hotel ℅ The Maidstone served as HIFF's charming festival headquarters.