{
  "id": 7081338,
  "title": "Venice Golden Lion winner May el-Toukhy on Woman Unknown and her Egyptian roots",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/venice-golden-lion-winner-may-el-toukhy-on-woman-unknown-and-her-7081338",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T07:26:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film-tv/2026/09/13/venice-golden-lion-winner-may-el-toukhy-on-woman-unknown-and-her-egyptian-roots/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "May el-Toukhy, the Danish-Egyptian filmmaker who won the Golden Lion for her film Woman Unknown, recently spoke at the Hungaria Hotel in Venice. She expressed her surprise at being considered a \"woman unknown\" in her field, with a hint of humor in her voice. The film, which won both the Golden Lion and the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, deals with the tumultuous period following World War II in Denmark, focusing on a nanny named Marie who is secretly involved with a German soldier. El-Toukhy and her co-writer, Maren Louise Kaehne, drew inspiration from historical photographs depicting the humiliation of women who had relationships with German soldiers during the war. The film delves into themes of guilt, punishment, and the impact of societal judgment on individuals and nations. As the sole woman director among the main competition entries in Venice, El-Toukhy acknowledged the lack of female representation in the industry and expressed her hope that the issue would be addressed by both male colleagues and delegates. Born to an Egyptian father and a Danish mother, El-Toukhy has always felt connected to her Egyptian roots, having grown up in Denmark as a brown person. She believes her experiences growing up in a predominantly white setting and her father's first-generation immigrant background have influenced her storytelling and perspectives.",
  "summary": "Before winning the Golden Lion for Woman Unknown , May el-Toukhy was already finding some humour in her film’s title. “I’m probably the most known ‘woman unknown’ in my business, right?” she grins, meeting The National at the Hungaria Hotel on Venice’s Lido on a roasting hot afternoon. The Danish-Egyptian filmmaker would go on to win the Venice Film Festival’s highest prize on Saturday for her…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Venice Golden Lion winner May el-Toukhy on Woman Unknown and her Egyptian roots",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/venice-golden-lion-winner-may-el-toukhy-on-woman-unknown-and-her",
        "published": "2026-09-13T07:26:19.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}