Venice: ‘Woman Unknown’ takes the Golden Lion
Venice's final film festival saw Danish director May el-Toukhy's post-war drama Woman Unknown claim the Golden Lion award. Co-star Mathilde Arcel also won best actress, marking a rare double victory for women at the event. The film, set in post-World War Two Denmark, follows a housemaid whose past relationship with a German soldier becomes a threat to her future amidst a backdrop of vigilante justice. el-Toukhy, the only female director in the 21-film main line-up, used her acceptance speech to highlight the struggles women face in cinema, describing Woman Unknown as a story about the female body as a battleground and public matter.
John Malkovich won best actor for his role in Martin McDonagh's comedy Wild Horse Nine, while South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong took the Silver Lion for Possible Love and Russian director Ilya Khrzhanovsky won best director for Ukraine-centric DAU. The festival, known for its focus on global issues, also premiered NAZA, a documentary accusing the Israeli military of aiming for civilian deaths in Gaza, which received a record 25-minute standing ovation – the second year in a row a Gaza-related film has resonated at Venice.
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