May el-Toukhy’s “Woman Unknown” has won the Golden Lion for best film at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, with the Danish drama also earning Mathilde Arcel the Volpi Cup for best actress.
The film, which follows a young housemaid whose intimate relationship with a German soldier during World War II threatens her future, was the only competition title solely directed by a woman.
Accepting the festival’s top honour, el-Toukhy addressed the lack of opportunities for women filmmakers, an issue jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal had raised at the beginning of the festival.
“Thank you to the jury for this great honour — and to you, Maggie, especially for using your voice and shining a light on the lack of equal opportunities for female filmmakers in our industry,” el-Toukhy said.
She described making the film as financially, logistically and emotionally challenging, adding that she was driven by a desire to bring attention to the “unknown women of our common history”.
Earlier in the ceremony, “Woman Unknown” star Mathilde Arcel received the Volpi Cup for best actress. The film marks her first leading role and her first appearance at a film festival.
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Mathilde Arcel receives the Coppa Volpi Award for Best Actress during the closing ceremony of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival | Photo: Reuters“This is my first lead role in a movie and it’s my first time at a film festival and my first time to win a film award,” an emotional Arcel said.
John Malkovich received the Volpi Cup for best actor for his portrayal of an eccentric CIA agent in Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine”. Unable to attend the ceremony as he was filming another project in Montreal, Malkovich accepted the award through a video message.
“I am humbled to be chosen for this award, which has been given to so many wonderful actors over the past 83 iterations of the Venice Film Festival,” he said, also thanking McDonagh and co-star Sam Rockwell.
The Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s second-highest honour, went to South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love”. The drama, which follows two married couples from different social classes, will represent South Korea in the international feature film category at the Oscars.
Accepting the award, Lee reflected on the erosion of human connections and the changing meaning of labour.
“I made this film to ask what cinema can and should do in times like these,” he said.
Russian filmmaker Ilya Khrzhanovsky won the Silver Lion for best director for “DAU”, a three-hour-and-15-minute film he has worked on for two decades. Khrzhanovsky dedicated the award to Ukrainians fighting in the war and to his mother, who was born in Ukraine shortly before the arrival of Nazi forces.
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Director Ilya Khrzhanovsky receives the Silver Lion Best Director Award for 'Dau' during the closing ceremony of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival | Photo: Reuters
The Special Jury Prize went to “NAZA”, a documentary about the conflict in Gaza by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who previously worked on “No Other Land”. In his acceptance speech, Abraham spoke about criticism of the documentary and stressed the importance of confronting the realities depicted in the film.
The ceremony also included tributes to Oscar-winning British producer Jeremy Thomas, who died on Friday at the age of 77. Thomas won the Academy Award for best picture for Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor” in 1988 and collaborated with the Italian filmmaker on several projects.
Alongside Gyllenhaal, this year’s competition jury included filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, Hong Kong director Johnnie To, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat, French director and screenwriter Xavier Giannoli, composer Daniel Blumberg and Italian film academic Francesco Casetti.
See the full list of Venice award winners below.
