Oscars: Denmark Selects May el-Toukhy’s Golden Lion Winner ‘Woman Unknown’ for International Feature Race

May el-Toukhy’s “Woman Unknown” as be chosen as Denmark’s official entry for the international feature film race at the Oscars.

“Woman Unknown” just won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival from a jury presided over by Maggie Gyllenhaall. El-Toukhy was the sole female director in competition at this year’s Venice fest. In addition to the Golden Lion, the film also earned its star Mathilde Arcel the Coppa Volpi for best actress. The movie went on to play at Toronto, and will next screen at the BFI London Film Festival, as well as Busan.

Tine Fischer, the Danish Film Institute CEO who chaired the Danish Oscar committee, pointed out “May el-Toukhy has already made history with ‘Woman Unknown,’ becoming only the second Danish director to win the Golden Lion in Venice, following Carl Th. Dreyer’s Ordet in 1955.”

Fischer described “Woman Unknown” as a “bold and uncompromising film that explores guilt, shame and morality, showing how women’s bodies and destinies become the focus of society’s condemnation and control.”

“It is a film that offers no easy answers but dares to ask difficult and important questions. With its strong artistic vision and thematic complexity, it is well positioned to make its mark in the Oscar race,” she continued.

The movie takes place in Copenhagen, May 1945, as Marie prepares for her summer wedding to an older, respected widower. “For several years, she has worked as a maid in his household, caring for his daughter. Now, a new life finally seems within reach. But beneath the seemingly idyllic surface lies a secret that could shatter her dream. And as the truth about her shameful past comes ever closer to being revealed, the price she is willing to pay grows ever higher. No one must know the truth,” the synopsis reads.

El-Toukhy previously directed “Queen of Hearts,” which won the Audience Award at Sundance and received both Robert and Bodil Awards in Denmark. El-Toukhy then directed episodes of the Emmy-winning series “The Crown” and was one of the initiators of Dogma25, launched during the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.

Produced by Mikael Christian Rieks for Nordisk Film Production, “Woman Unknown” is supported by the Danish Film Institute and will be released in Danish cinemas on Feb. 4.