May el-Toukhy wins Golden Lion at 83rd Venice Film Festival for Woman Unknown

Main competition winners

The jury of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, presided over by American filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, awarded the Golden Lion to Danish director May el-Toukhy for the post-war drama Woman Unknown. Lead performer Mathilde Arcel earned the Volpi Cup for best actress for her depiction of Marie, a housekeeper in post-Second World War Denmark attempting to conceal a wartime romance with a German soldier. South Korean director Lee Chang-dong secured the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize for Possible Love, which explores two married couples during the production of a documentary. The Silver Lion for best director went to dissident Russian filmmaker Ilya Khrzhanovsky for Dau, a production across Germany, France, and Sweden whose selection faced prior objections from the Ukrainian government. John Malkovich received the Volpi Cup for best actor for his role in Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, while Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amédéo, and Olivier Gorce won best screenplay for Un Bon Petit Soldat.

Female representation in competition

El-Toukhy entered the 21-film competition as the sole female director in the initial lineup before Rachel Szor joined as co-director of Naza. Accepting the Golden Lion, the Danish-Egyptian director dedicated the award to her teenage daughter and addressed the history of silenced women.

For me Woman Unknown speaks of the female body as a battlefield and a public issue. And at the same time, the film tells the story of invisible women, unseen and without a voice.

In Lido press conferences, el-Toukhy described structural obstacles in cinema financing, noting that completing her debut feature required six to seven years after graduation compared to faster trajectories for male colleagues. Arcel stated that her character research examined historical accounts of women facing ostracism and public head-shaving across post-war Europe.

Political statements and Gaza documentary

The festival's Special Jury Prize went to Naza, a Gaza documentary co-directed by Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham, which received a standing ovation in the Sala Grande. Abraham delivered an acceptance speech calling attention to civilian deaths during the event.

The reality is that since the festival began, in these ten days alone, Israel has killed at least six Palestinian children in Gaza.

Abraham added that officials in Rome and Berlin were withholding diplomatic pressure capable of altering conditions in the conflict zone. French performer Malou Khebizi received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for emerging talent for her role in Cédric Kahn's 15/18.

Orizzonti prizes and upcoming releases

In the Orizzonti section, presided over by French filmmaker Valérie Donzelli, Belgian-French feature Un Détour par Diane by Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni won best film among 19 selected features and 13 shorts. Jacqueline Lentzou received best director for A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra, while Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio and screenwriters Tommaso Landucci and Damiano Femfert won honours for I Figli della Scimmia. Iranian actress Laleh Marzban took the Orizzonti best actress award for Moragheb.

Theatrical distributors and streaming services have scheduled European and global release dates for the award-winning titles throughout autumn 2026.