At the Venice Film Festival, May el-Toukhy was awarded the Golden Lion for her film, marking a major achievement in the festival’s history. The film is Woman Unknown, a postwar Danish drama set after the Nazi occupation. El-Toukhy became the eighth woman to win Venice’s top prize, according to The Associated Press. Reuters reported that she was the only woman to solely direct one of the 21 films in the main competition.
The film received recognition from both the audience and the jury, with el-Toukhy expressing deep gratitude during her acceptance speech. Its Venice premiere ended with a standing ovation lasting about seven and a half minutes. She spoke about the challenges involved in making the movie, including financial and logistical struggles. El-Toukhy emphasized her desire to bring lesser-known women from history into the spotlight through her work. Mathilde Arcel stars as Marie, a housemaid whose past relationship with a German soldier during World War II threatens her future.
The festival’s jury president, Maggie Gyllenhaal, explained that an exception was made because the vote for Arcel was unanimous, according to The Guardian. Gyllenhaal also highlighted the importance of addressing gender imbalance in filmmaking at the beginning of the festival. The award for Best Actress went to Arcel, who received the Volpi Cup, a rare occurrence as Venice typically limits one prize per film.
Lee Chang-dong was honored with the Grand Jury Prize for his work Possible Love. Possible Love was produced by Pinehouse Film, Anonymous Content and NOWFILM. Johnnie To, a veteran Hong Kong filmmaker and jury member, presented Lee Chang-dong with the grand jury prize.
Another film, NAZA, directed by Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham, was given the Special Jury Prize. Abraham shared his concerns about Israeli politicians and journalists who are attacking the film without watching it. NAZA was produced by the Guardian and drew from interviews with 24 Israeli military insiders. The documentary also received a standing ovation lasting about 25 minutes at its Venice premiere.
Ilya Khrzhanovsky was awarded the Silver Lion for Best Director. The film DAU was shot in Kharkiv between 2008 and 2011 before the start of the conflict. Khrzhanovsky dedicated his award to Ukraine. Khrzhanovsky attended the festival and accepted his award in person. John Malkovich, who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for Wild Horse Nine, was not in Venice and accepted his award through a video message from Canada.
The festival’s lineup included several emotionally powerful and politically charged films that sparked discussion among attendees.
IMAGE: Director and Cast of Woman Unknown Harald Krichel CC4