‘Woman Unknown’ Wins Venice Golden Lion

“Woman Unknown” took the top honors at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, which came to a close on Saturday when Danish-Egyptian director May el-Toukhy’s drama set just after the Nazi occupation of Denmark during WWII won the Golden Lion. el-Toukhy was the only woman director with a film in competition at this year’s festival. Her victory was decided on by a jury headed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who called the dearth of female filmmakers “a systemic problem” during the opening press conference. Earlier in the evening, Mathilde Arcel, who stars in “Woman Unknown” as a young nanny and housemaid with a secret, won the Volpi Cup for best actress. This year’s Venice jury also included Kaouther Ben Hania, whose film “The Voice of Hind Rijab” won the Silver Lion — Grand Jury Prize last year. This year, that honor went to “Possible Love” from South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong. In his review for TheWrap, Steve Pond described it as an “intricate story of class conflict, journalistic ethics and the difficulty of healing.” Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s documentary “Naza” took the Special Jury Prize. Abraham and Szor, two of the Oscar winners for 2025 best doc “No Other Land,” took the stage to a standing ovation from the audience. John Malkovich accepted his Volpi Cup for his turn in Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine” remotely, via a pre-taped message of thanks. Since the film premiered, the actor’s name has been bandied about as a likely Oscar nominee, thanks to near-universal praise. As William Bibbiani noted in his review for TheWrap, “It’s John Malkovich’s film. … He can convey more with a barely audible grumble than some actors can with a two-page monologue. Malkovich is one of the great performers and ‘Wild Horse Nine’ is one of his finest hours.” Ilya Hersanovsky won the Silver Lion for directing for “Dau.” Earlier this month, George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn each accepted a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the festival. Here is the complete list of winners. Main Competition Golden Lion — Best Film“Woman Unknown,” May el-Toukhy Silver Lion — Grand Jury Prize“Possible Love,” Lee Chang-dongSilver Lion — Best DirectorIlya Hersanovsky, “Dau”Special Jury Prize“Naza,” Yuval Abraham and Rachel SzorVolpi Cup for Best ActorJohn Malkovitch, “Wild Horse Nine” Volpi Cup for Best ActressMathilde Arcel, “Woman Unknown” Best Screenplay“Un Bon Petit Soldat,” Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amedeo and Olivier Gorce Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or ActressMalou Khebizi, “A Place to Heal” Armani Beauty Audience Award“I Matter,” Alina Serban Lion of the Future (Venice Award for Debut Film)“House of the Wind,” Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu Orizzonti (Horizons) Best Film“Diane in the Loop,” Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni Special Jury Prize“House of the Wind,” Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu Best DirectorJacqueline Lentzou, “A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra” Best Screenplay“The Children of the Monkey,” Tommaso Landucci and Damiano Femfert Best ActressLaleh Marzban, “Falling House” Best ActorRiccardo Scamarcio, “The Children of the Monkey” Best Short Film“A Few Moments of Happiness,” Shaden Safieddine Tazi Venice Immersive Achievement PrizePeter Flaherty, “Empire at Sea” Special Jury PrizeRory Mitchell and Nonny de la Peña, “Out of the Ashes” Grand PrizeShixin Tao and Yuqi Zhang, “The Pigeon Ring” Venice Classics Best Restored Film“Long Night of 1943,” Florestano Vancini