May el-Toukhy’s ‘Woman Unknown’ has won two of the most prestigious awards at the Venice Film Festival, the world’s oldest film festival and one of the most prestigious events in international cinema.
The film receives the Golden Lion, the festival’s top prize, while Mathilde Arcel wins the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress for her leading role as Marie.
Not since Carl Th. Dreyer’s ‘Ordet’ received the top prize in 1955 has a Danish film won the Golden Lion in Venice. With the victory, May el-Toukhy also makes Danish film history as the first Danish female director to win the festival’s top prize.
Mathilde Arcel, meanwhile, receives one of the festival’s most prestigious individual honours. The Coppa Volpi is awarded for the best acting performances in Venice’s main competition.
‘Woman Unknown’ is a psychological drama set in Copenhagen in the immediate aftermath of the liberation in May 1945. The film takes its point of departure in the story of the so-called “German girls” – women who had relationships with German soldiers during the occupation and who, after the war, were subjected to public humiliation and stigmatisation.
Through its protagonist Marie, the film explores guilt, shame and morality, showing how women’s bodies and destinies become a battleground – a very real site for society’s shame, reckoning, morality and control.
Strong international reception
‘Woman Unknown’ was met with strong reviews in the international press following its world premiere in Venice.
The Guardian awards the film four out of five stars and calls it “a shrewd, painful portrait of survival”.
Screen International highlights Mathilde Arcel’s leading role, writing: “Mathilde Arcel puts in a terrific lead performance”.
The Hollywood Reporter describes the film as “both an engrossing character study and a damning but sensitive consideration of national history”.
Tine Fischer, CEO of the Danish Film Institute, says:
“This is a historic victory for May el-Toukhy and for Danish cinema. 71 years after Carl Th. Dreyer, a Danish film has once again won the Golden Lion, while el-Toukhy also makes history as the first Danish female director to receive the festival’s top prize. It is quite simply an extraordinary achievement.
The Golden Lion is a tremendous recognition of a truly exceptional film and of a director who ranks among the most distinctive voices of her generation. May el-Toukhy possesses rare artistic courage and a remarkable ability to create complex female characters and confront audiences with difficult ethical questions. With ‘Woman Unknown’, she firmly establishes herself among the very best in international cinema.
The award is also further powerful evidence of the position Danish cinema holds internationally right now. El-Toukhy has also been a central force in Dogme25 and in the effort to safeguard the artistic integrity of feature filmmaking. The Golden Lion demonstrates what can happen when strong, personal films are given the freedom to be bold, uncompromising and artistically ambitious.
That Mathilde Arcel is honoured with the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress is a fantastic international recognition of a performance characterised by exceptional strength, precision and human complexity. In Arcel, May el-Toukhy has found an actor capable of giving that complexity a powerful human presence. The award is a major personal triumph for Arcel and yet another testament to the extraordinary artistic standard of Danish cinema right now.”
About the film
Copenhagen, May 1945. Marie is preparing for her summer wedding to an older, respected widower. For several years, she has worked in his household and cared for his daughter, and now a new life finally seems within reach.
But beneath the seemingly idyllic surface lies a secret that could shatter her dream. The closer her past comes to being exposed, the higher the price she is willing to pay to keep it hidden. No one must know the truth.
‘Woman Unknown’ is directed by May el-Toukhy. The screenplay is written by Maren Louise Käehne and May el-Toukhy. The film is produced by Mikael Christian Rieks for Nordisk Film and stars Mathilde Arcel and Carsten Bjørnlund in the leading roles.
‘Woman Unknown’ is supported by the Danish Film Institute and will be released in Danish cinemas on 4 February 2027. The film is also one of three titles in contention to become Denmark’s submission for an Academy Award nomination in the International Feature Film category. Denmark’s official Oscar submission will be announced on 25 September.
