'The Wrestler' wins Venice's Golden Lion

September 06, 2008 Mickey Rourke, considered by many a favorite for the festival's best actor prize for his interpretation of an aging pro wrestler struggling to come to terms with the end of his career. Rourke said the film was the best he's ever made, and jury president Wim Wenders called Rourke's performance "heartbreaking" and said he regretted that festival rules prohibited Rourke from getting the best actor prize after the film already won the Golden Lion. Fifth-year Venice artistic director Marco Mueller said he was confident that without the WGA strike that delayed many projects this year, and with the investments in infrastructure Venice is making, the festival will be as strong as ever in 2009.

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