{
  "id": 7068206,
  "title": "Danish-Egyptian director May el-Toukhy wins Venice Golden Lion for Woman Unknown",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/danish-egyptian-director-may-el-toukhy-wins-venice-golden-lion-for-7068206",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-13T05:18:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film-tv/2026/09/13/danish-egyptian-director-may-el-toukhy-wins-venice-golden-lion-for-woman-unknown/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Danish-Egyptian director May el-Toukhy has been awarded the prestigious Golden Lion prize, the top honor at the Venice Film Festival, for her film Woman Unknown. The drama centers around a woman who hides her past in Denmark following World War II.\n\nAlongside the Golden Lion, Mathilde Arcel, who played the lead role, received the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. The awards were handed out by a jury headed by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, alongside esteemed members Kaouther Ben Hania and Shahrbanoo Sadat, both filmmakers from Tunisia and Afghanistan respectively.\n\nIn her acceptance speech, el-Toukhy expressed her motivation behind the film, stating, \"What kept me going was the urgent need to illuminate the unknown women of our common history, to make them known.\"\n\nArcel portrays Marie, a maid who is about to marry her affluent employer while concealing a wartime relationship with a German soldier. The film depicts her efforts to safeguard her future amid the harsh consequences faced by women accused of having relationships with occupying soldiers.\n\nMay el-Toukhy, born in Copenhagen to a Danish mother and an Egyptian father, has previously directed Long Story Short and Queen of Hearts. The latter was honored with the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival's World Cinema Dramatic Competition in 2019. This year saw a diverse representation of Arab filmmakers at the Venice festival, with el-Toukhy emerging as the only woman director among the selected entries.",
  "summary": "Danish-Egyptian director May el-Toukhy has won the Golden Lion, the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival, for Woman Unknown. The drama about a woman concealing her past in Denmark after the Second World War also earned Mathilde Arcel the Volpi Cup for Best Actress during Saturday’s closing ceremony. The awards were decided by a jury led by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Other members of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Danish-Egyptian director May el-Toukhy wins Venice Golden Lion for Woman Unknown",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/danish-egyptian-director-may-el-toukhy-wins-venice-golden-lion-for",
        "published": "2026-09-13T05:18:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "(3rd LD) Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love' wins Grand Jury Prize at Venice film fest",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/3rd-ld-lee-chang-dongs-possible-love-wins-grand-jury-prize-at-venice",
        "published": "2026-09-13T08:38:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}