Oscars: Denmark Selects May El-Toukhy’s ‘Woman Unknown’ For International Feature Film Race

Denmark has selected May el-Toukhy’s Golden Lion-winning title Woman Unknown as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.

The post-World War II, Denmark-set psychological drama stars Mathilde Arcel as a young nanny and housemaid, who is about to marry her wealthy older employer, a widower still haunted by the memory of his late wife. Amid the jubilation of the liberation, there is a darker side, as women who fraternized with German soldiers are tracked down and brutally publicly shamed. A painful secret from Marie’s past threatens to catch up with her.

With the Academy’s submission changes, Woman Unknown was already eligible in the international category after it won the Golden Lion in Venice. Mathilde Arcel also went home with the Volpi Cup in Venice for her leading performance.

El-Toukhy directed from a screenplay she co-wrote with Maren Louise Käehne. The picture was produced by Mikael Rieks for Nordisk Film Production A/S in co-production with Nafta Films, Nordisk Film Production Sweden and Film i Väst with support from The Danish Film Institute, Eurimages – Council of Europe, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Riga City Council, Nordisk Film & TV Fund, DR, The Swedish Film Institute, SVT, LIAA, Riga Film Fund, TrustNordisk and Zentropa.

Nordisk Film Distribution is distributing in Denmark, while TrustNordisk is handling international sales.

Trust Nordisk announced fresh sales on the title following Venice. The film has sold to Memento for France, as well as Spain (Karma Films), Poland (Best Film), Portugal (Nitrato Filmes), the former Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom Film) and Bulgaria (Beta Film). Previously announced deals include Italy (Lucky Red), Benelux (September Films), Latin America (California Filmes), Greece (Neo Films), and the Baltics (Estin Film).

The film continues its festival run with screenings at the BFI London Film Festival, Riga International Film Festival, and Busan International Film Festival.