May el-Toukhy's 'Woman Unknown' wins Golden Lion at 83rd Venice Film Festival

Golden Lion and acting awards

Danish director May el-Toukhy won the Golden Lion at the 83rd Venice Film Festival on Saturday for her post-war drama "Woman Unknown", a Danish, Swedish and Latvian co-production. The film follows a housemaid in newly liberated Denmark whose wartime relationship with a German soldier threatens her marriage into a wealthy Copenhagen family. Danish actress Mathilde Arcel earned the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her performance in the lead role.

This is my first lead role in a movie and my first time at a film festival.

American actor John Malkovich received the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his portrayal of an ageing CIA operative in Martin McDonagh's dark comedy "Wild Horse Nine". Set on Easter Island prior to the 1973 Chilean coup and co-starring Sam Rockwell, the film features sharp dialogue and political commentary. Malkovich accepted the award through a video broadcast from Montreal, where he was filming.

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.

Directing and grand jury prizes

South Korean director Lee Chang-dong received the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize for "Promised Love" (also titled "Possible Love" in festival releases), an examination of class and labour that represents his first film since "Burning" eight years ago. The Silver Lion for Best Director went to Russian-born filmmaker Ilya Khrzhanovsky for "DAU", a project running over three hours that chronicles the life of Soviet nuclear physicist Lev Landau.

We are living in an era where the meaning of labor is fading and human connections are increasingly becoming severed. I made this film to ask what cinema can and should do in times like these. I take this award as a sign that you want me to keep asking these questions.

Khrzhanovsky, who renounced his Russian citizenship in protest of the war in Ukraine, dedicated the award to Ukraine and his Ukrainian mother. The "DAU" project spanned two decades and involved 2,000 people, many living for months inside a reconstruction of a Soviet research institute.

Gaza documentary and screenplay awards

The Special Jury Prize went to "NAZA", a documentary directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and co-produced with The Guardian. Filmed in secrecy over three years on Tel Aviv rooftops, the documentary incorporates interviews with 24 Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers who allege that military command routinely approved civilian deaths during operations in Gaza. Added late to the competition schedule, the documentary drew a 25-minute standing ovation at its Thursday premiere.

It is really, really especially important to us that Israelis watch this film.

French screenwriters Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amedeo and Olivier Gorce won Best Screenplay for "A Good Little Soldier". French actress Malou Khebizi won Best Emerging Young Actor or Actress for "A Place To Heal".

Gender representation in the competition

The main competition line-up featured 21 films, with el-Toukhy standing as the sole woman directing a feature film individually and Szor participating as co-director on "NAZA". On the opening day, jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal addressed the imbalance by pointing to systemic industry issues. El-Toukhy is the eighth woman to win the Golden Lion across the festival's 83 editions. The jury awarded the festival's top honour to the film during Saturday's closing ceremony on the Venice Lido.

To me personally, Woman Unknown is about the female body as a battleground. At the same time, the film tells the tale of women who are invisible, unseen and voiceless.