May el-Toukhy’s Woman Unknown claimed the top prize at the Venice film festival, with the film earning recognition for its story about a Danish housemaid harboring a wartime secret. Set during the period following Nazi occupation of Denmark, the narrative centers on a woman named Marie who conceals a past romantic relationship with a German soldier as she prepares for marriage. Lead actress Mathilde Arcel also received the festival’s best actress honor, the Volpi Cup.
In her acceptance remarks, El-Toukhy expressed gratitude to jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal, noting the challenges involved in the film’s production across financial, logistical, and emotional dimensions. The director emphasized her intention to illuminate overlooked female figures in historical narratives. Woman Unknown stood as the sole female-directed film among the festival’s competition entries.
The grand jury prize, the festival’s second-highest honor, went to South Korean director Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love, described as an examination of marital unhappiness and social relationships. The special jury prize was awarded to documentary filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor for NAZA, a work examining Israel’s artificial intelligence systems and their role in civilian casualties in Gaza. The documentary drew statements from 24 Israeli military personnel interviewed anonymously.
Russian director Ilya Khrzhanovsky received the Silver Lion for best director for DAU, a biographical film about physicist Lev Landau. Actor John Malkovich won the Volpi Cup for best actor for his performance in Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, accepting the award via video link from the United States. Additional awards were distributed across categories including best screenplay, best young actor, and debut film recognition.
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