83rd Venice Int’l Film Festival: ‘Woman Unknown’ wins Golden Lion, John Malkovich takes Best Actor

May el-Toukhy’s “Woman Unknown” has won the Golden Lion for best film at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, with the Danish drama also earning Mathilde Arcel the Volpi Cup for best actress.

The film, which follows a young housemaid whose intimate relationship with a German soldier during World War II threatens her future, was the only competition title solely directed by a woman.

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Accepting the festival’s top honour, el-Toukhy addressed the lack of opportunities for women filmmakers, an issue jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal had raised at the beginning of the festival.

“Thank you to the jury for this great honour — and to you, Maggie, especially for using your voice and shining a light on the lack of equal opportunities for female filmmakers in our industry,” el-Toukhy said.

She described making the film as financially, logistically and emotionally challenging, adding that she was driven by a desire to bring attention to the “unknown women of our common history”.

Earlier in the ceremony, “Woman Unknown” star Mathilde Arcel received the Volpi Cup for best actress. The film marks her first leading role and her first appearance at a film festival.

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“This is my first lead role in a movie and it’s my first time at a film festival and my first time to win a film award,” an emotional Arcel said.

John Malkovich received the Volpi Cup for best actor for his portrayal of an eccentric CIA agent in Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine”. Unable to attend the ceremony as he was filming another project in Montreal, Malkovich accepted the award through a video message.

“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,” he said, also thanking McDonagh and co-star Sam Rockwell.

The Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s second-highest honour, went to South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love”. The drama, which follows two married couples from different social classes, will represent South Korea in the international feature film category at the Oscars.

Accepting the award, Lee reflected on the erosion of human connections and the changing meaning of labour.

“I made this film to ask what cinema can and should do in times like these,” he said.

Russian filmmaker Ilya Khrzhanovsky won the Silver Lion for best director for “DAU”, a three-hour-and-15-minute film he has worked on for two decades. Khrzhanovsky dedicated the award to Ukrainians fighting in the war and to his mother, who was born in Ukraine shortly before the arrival of Nazi forces.

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The Special Jury Prize went to “NAZA”, a documentary about the conflict in Gaza by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who previously worked on “No Other Land”. In his acceptance speech, Abraham spoke about criticism of the documentary and stressed the importance of confronting the realities depicted in the film.

The ceremony also included tributes to Oscar-winning British producer Jeremy Thomas, who died on Friday at the age of 77. Thomas won the Academy Award for best picture for Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor” in 1988 and collaborated with the Italian filmmaker on several projects.

Alongside Gyllenhaal, this year’s competition jury included filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, Hong Kong director Johnnie To, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat, French director and screenwriter Xavier Giannoli, composer Daniel Blumberg and Italian film academic Francesco Casetti.

See the full list of Venice award winners below.

Competition

• Golden Lion for Best Film: “Woman Unknown” — May El-Toukhy
• Grand Jury Prize: “Possible Love” — Lee Chang-dong
• Silver Lion for Best Director: Ilya Khrzhanovsky — “DAU”
• Special Jury Prize: “NAZA” — Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor
• Best Screenplay: “A Good Little Soldier” — Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amédéo and Olivier Gorce
• Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Mathilde Arcel — “Woman Unknown”
• Volpi Cup for Best Actor: John Malkovich — “Wild Horse Nine”
• Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor: Malou Khebizi — “A Place to Heal”
• Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Debut Film: “House of the Wind” — Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu

Venice Spotlight

• Armani Beauty Audience Award: “I Matter” — Alina Şerban

Horizons

• Best Film: “Diane in the Loop” — Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni
• Best Director: Jacqueline Lentzou — “A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra”
• Special Jury Prize: “House of the Wind” — Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu
• Best Actress: Laleh Marzban — “Falling House”
• Best Actor: Riccardo Scamarcio — “The Children of the Monkey”
• Best Screenplay: “The Children of the Monkey” — Tommaso Landucci and Damiano Femfert
• Best Short Film: “A Few Moments of Happiness” — Shaden Safieddine Tazi

Venice Classics

• Best Restored Film: “Long Night of 1943” — Florestano Vancini

Venice Immersive

• Grand Prize: “The Pigeon Ring” — Shixin Tao and Yuqi Zhang
• Special Jury Prize: “Out of the Ashes” — Rory Mitchell and Nonny de la Peña
• Achievement Prize: “Empire at Sea” — Peter Flaherty