May El-Toukhy’s 'Woman Unknown' Scores Top Prize At Politically Charged Venice
Danish-Egyptian director May El-Toukhy's post-World War II psychological thriller Woman Unknown won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 83rd Venice Film Festival (September 2-12). The film's star Mathilde Arcel also took the Volpi Cup for Best Actress.
Set in Denmark in the summer of 1945, the film follows Marie, a nanny and housemaid on the cusp of marrying her wealthy, older, widowed employer. Her future is threatened when people in her orbit begin to discover she had a sexual relationship with a German soldier during the war.
In her acceptance speech, El-Toukhy brought up the lack of equal opportunities for female filmmakers in the industry, adding that the film had been difficult to make on financial, logistical and emotional grounds.
“I don’t have the feeling that my male colleagues aren’t interested in having women in the industry, but still, there are structures in place that we haven’t found a way to solve,” said El-Toukhy at the post-announcement press conference. Last year's Golden Lion went to Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother.
Woman Unknown was the only film in competition solely directed by a woman this year, a fact jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal herself talked about at the festival's opening press conference. "There's a systemic problem," she told reporters, adding that financing remains harder to secure for female filmmakers.
This year’s seven-member jury also included The Voice Of Hind Rajab director Kaouther Ben Hania, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat, Hong Kong director Johnnie To, French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli, Italian film scholar Francesco Casetti and English composer Daniel Blumberg.
While Venice has been no stranger to political discussion, this year's edition was perhaps the most so, with Danny Boyle's opening-night drama Ink and Alex Gibney's Musk setting the tone from the first day.
Most prominent in this space was NAZA, a searing documentary from Israeli filmmaking duo Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor (their film 2024 No Other Land won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2025).
NAZA features 24 Israeli military and intelligence sources describing what they characterise as the systemic killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza through AI-assisted targeting systems. Added to the lineup shortly before the festival opened, it received a 24.5-minute standing ovation at its September 10 premiere. It was the longest in Venice's history, edging past both the 22-minute ovation for The Voice Of Hind Rajab last year and Guillermo del Toro's 22-minute reception for Pan's Labyrinth at Cannes 2006.
The film left with only the Special Jury Prize, same as The Voice Of Hind Rajab the year before. Abraham used his acceptance speech to note that Israel had killed at least six Palestinian children in Gaza since the festival began. "We believe that denial of the crime is what helps it persist," he said, "and that is why it is really important for us that Israelis watch this film." NAZA is executive produced by Jonathan Glazer, director of 2024 Best International Film Oscar-winner The Zone Of Interest.
Calls had also been made for a Palestinian flag to be flown from the Palazzo del Cinema in recognition of Palestinian directors in the selection. Festival director Alberto Barbera said the Venice Biennale was barred from doing so because Italy does not officially recognise Palestine as a state.
Meanwhile, George Clooney, in Venice to receive his Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion, was asked for comments on Mark Ruffalo’s open letter calling to block the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger. "I will always support Mark Ruffalo's ability to speak freely. I like him. He's a good man," Clooney said. "I believe in free speech even when I completely disagree with it. That's important, right? In fact, it's part of how a democracy works."
In August, Ruffalo had openly proclaimed his concerns about the impending merger between Paramount and Warner Brothers, on account of Paramount owners the Ellisons’ links to “what we now have come to see as a genocide” in Gaza, “which was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle”. Paramount responded by calling his comments “antisemitic tropes” invoked in “purported service of a business dispute”.
Ruffalo was originally cast in Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, the film that earned John Malkovich the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, before dropping out over scheduling conflicts and being replaced by Steve Buscemi. Separately, in the festival's Immersive section, marking its tenth anniversary, Ruffalo narrated Solwata, a mixed-reality installation from Felix Gaedtke and Gayatri Parameswaran on the impact of rising seas in the Solomon Islands, produced with Human Rights Watch.
Venice remains the traditional launchpad for awards season, and this year produced an early frontrunner in John Malkovich's performance in Wild Horse Nine, McDonagh's black comedy thriller set against the 1973 Chilean coup. The film, coming out in November, also stars Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits and Parker Posey.
Woman Unknown is also in the awards conversation, though El-Toukhy's comments about the difficulty of financing the film may point to a complicated path re: wide release. NAZA is likely to follow No Other Land's route through the documentary circuit toward the Best Documentary Oscar.
The Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize went to South Korean director Lee Chang-dong for Possible Love, his first feature since 2018's Burning, following two married couples whose paths cross when a filmmaker sets out to document their lives. The film also won the FIPRESCI Prize for best film in the main competition. Netflix will release it in November; Korea has submitted it as its official Oscar entry.
Russian director Ilya Khrzhanovsky won the Silver Lion for Best Director for DAU, the latest chapter of his multi-format project tracing the life of a Soviet physicist across four decades. The Golden Osella for Best Screenplay went to Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amédéo and Olivier Gorce for A Good Little Soldier. The Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Emerging Performer went to Malou Khebizi for 15/18 (A Place To Heal).
The Lion of the Future — Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film went to Cameroonian-French director Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu for House Of The Wind, about an elderly woman living alone in Yaoundé whose story reflects on migration to Europe.
Florian Zeller's Bunker, starring real-life couple Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz as a married pair whose tensions escalate when an architect is commissioned to build a luxury bunker for a tech billionaire, drew a lengthy ovation, (NPR said over 14 minutes, other outlets somewhat longer) despite mixed reviews.
Robert Pattinson's Primetime, in which he plays a fictionalised version of To Catch A Predator host Chris Hansen, premiered to a nine-minute standing ovation and strong reviews overall. Luca Guadagnino's seven-hour Bernardo Bertolucci tribute Joie de Vivre played out of competition.
George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn both received Golden Lion awards for Lifetime Achievement. The closing ceremony, hosted by Italian actors Greta Scarano and Nicolas Maupas, ended with the world premiere of Giovanni Veronesi's God Laughs (Dio Ride), playing out of competition.
VENICE FILM FESTIVAL 2026 WINNERS:
MAIN COMPETITION:
Golden Lion for Best Film: Woman Unknown, dir: May El-Toukhy
Special Jury Prize: NAZA, dirs: Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: Possible Love, dir: Lee Chang-dong
Silver Lion for Best Director: Ilya Khrzhanovsky, DAU
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Mathilde Arcel, Woman Unknown
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: John Malkovich, Wild Horse Nine
Golden Osella for Best Screenplay: Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amédéo, Olivier Gorce, A Good Little Soldier
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Emerging Actor/Actress: Malou Khebizi, 15/18 (A Place To Heal)
Lion of the Future — Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film: House Of The Wind, dir: Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu
Armani Beauty Audience Award: I Matter, dir: Alina Șerban
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT:
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement: George Clooney
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement: Ellen Burstyn
ORIZZONTI (HORIZONS):
Best Film: Diane In The Loop, dirs: Ann Sirot, Raphaël Balboni
Best Director: Jacqueline Lentzou, A Day In The Life Of Jo: Chapter Phaedra
Special Jury Prize: House Of The Wind, dir: Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu
Best Actor: Riccardo Scamarcio, The Children Of The Monkey
Best Actress: Laleh Marzban, Falling House
Best Screenplay: Tommaso Landucci, Damiano Femfert, The Children Of The Monkey
FIPRESCI PRIZES:
Best Film from Venezia 83: Possible Love, dir: Lee Chang-dong
Best Film from Orizzonti: The Color Of The Sun, dir: Xavier Tera
VENICE CRITICS' WEEK:
Grand Prize IWONDERFULL: Before The War, dir: Tommaso Usberti
Luciano Sovena Award for Best Independent Producer: Before The War, dir: Tommaso Usberti
Special Mention: The End Of Times, dirs: Bibiana Rojas Gómez, Juan David Cárdenas
Mario Serandrei — Hotel Saturnia Award for Best Technical Contribution: The End Of Times, dirs: Bibiana Rojas Gómez, Juan David Cárdenas
Audience Award: Our Share Of Sand, dir: Shalini Adnani
Circolo del Cinema di Verona Award: Zoom In, Zoom Out, dir: Dong Jie
Best Short Film SIC@SIC — Frame by Frame: E-I-E-I-O, dir: Noemi Arfuso
Special Mention, Short Film: Where The Tears Await, dirs: Caterina Bertini, Blu Diego Fasoli
Best Director, Stadion Video SIC@SIC: Revolver, dir: Paoli De Luca
Best Technical Contribution, Advista: If Things Could Ever Talk, dir: Giulia Cosentino
GIORNATE DEGLI AUTORI (VENICE DAYS):
GDA Director's Award: Sometimes Sadness, Sometimes Rebellion, dir: María Aparicio
Europa Cinemas Label: A Woman Today, dir: Robert Guédiguian
People's Choice Award: Balcanica, dir: Nicola Sorcinelli
