‘Woman Unknown’ wins Gold Lion at Venice Film Festival

Danish filmmaker May el-Toukhy’s post-war drama Woman Unknown ⁠won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, with its star Mathilde Arcel also taking best actress honours in a rare double victory.

El-Toukhy was the only woman directing a feature film in the main, 21-strong film line-up, a disparity that drew criticism during the festival and prompted renewed scrutiny of the barriers facing women in cinema.

Set in the aftermath of World War II, Woman Unknown follows a housemaid played ‌by Arcel whose past relationship with a German soldier threatens to destroy her future.

The film unfolds against the backdrop of a newly liberated Denmark, where women accused of fraternising with occupying German forces were often subjected to vigilante justice.

“To me personally, Woman Unknown is about the female body as a battleground and a public matter. And at the same time, the film tells the tale of women who are invisible, unseen, and voiceless,” el-Toukhy said in her acceptance speech.

South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong took the runner-up Silver Lion award for Possible Love, while Russian-born filmmaker Ilya Khrzhanovsky won best director for DAU, a hugely ambitious ⁠project shot largely in Ukraine before the ongoing war that has attracted intense scrutiny and controversy.