The Danish Oscar Committee, comprising representatives from the film industry and the Danish Film Institute, has selected May el-Toukhy’s Woman Unknown as Denmark’s official entry for the International Feature Film award. The film now joins entries from around the world competing for a nomination at the Academy Awards, which will take place in Los Angeles on 14 March 2027.
Tine Fischer, CEO of the Danish Film Institute and Chair of the Danish Oscar Committee, says:
"The Danish Oscar Committee has unanimously selected Woman Unknown as Denmark’s official Oscar entry. May el-Toukhy has already made history with Woman Unknown, becoming only the second Danish director to win the Golden Lion in Venice, following Carl Th. Dreyer’s Ordet in 1955. Woman Unknown is a bold and uncompromising film that explores guilt, shame and morality, showing how women’s bodies and destinies become the focus of society’s condemnation and control. It is a film that offers no easy answers but dares to ask difficult and important questions. With its strong artistic vision and thematic complexity, it is well positioned to make its mark in the Oscar race."
About Woman Unknown
Copenhagen, May 1945. Marie is preparing for her summer wedding to an older, respected widower. For several years, she has worked as a maid in his household, caring for his daughter. Now, a new life finally seems within reach. But beneath the seemingly idyllic surface lies a secret that could shatter her dream. And as the truth about her shameful past comes ever closer to being revealed, the price she is willing to pay grows ever higher. No one must know the truth.
Woman Unknown is directed by May el-Toukhy. Her previous film, Queen of Hearts, won the Audience Award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival and received both Robert and Bodil Awards in Denmark. El-Toukhy has since directed episodes of the Emmy-winning series The Crown and was one of the initiators of Dogma25, launched during the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.
Woman Unknown won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, where Mathilde Arcel received the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress for her performance as Marie. May el-Toukhy became the first Danish director to receive the festival’s top prize since Carl Th. Dreyer’s Ordet won the Golden Lion in 1955.
Woman Unknown was subsequently screened in the Centrepiece programme at the Toronto International Film Festival and has been selected for the Official Competition at the BFI London Film Festival as well as the official programme of the Busan International Film Festival in Korea in October.
The screenplay is written by Maren Louise Käehne and May el-Toukhy. The film is produced by Mikael Christian Rieks for Nordisk Film Production.
Woman Unknown is supported by the Danish Film Institute and will be released in Danish cinemas on 4 February 2027.
The film was submitted by Nordisk Film and qualifies on the basis of its commercial theatrical release in Norway within the qualifying period stipulated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
Three Danish Minority Co-Productions Selected as Oscar Candidates
Three Danish minority co-productions have been selected as their countries’ national candidates for an Oscar nomination in the Best International Feature Film category.
Fjord
Romanian director Cristian Mungiu’s ‘Fjord’ has been selected as Romania’s Oscar candidate.
The film won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is co-produced by Katrin Pors and Mikkel Jersin for Snowglobe.
‘Fjord’ follows married couple Lisbet and Mihai Gheorghiu, who move to a small village by a Norwegian fjord. There, they become friends with the Halberg family, and the families’ children form close bonds despite differences in their upbringing and values.
The lead roles are played by Norwegian actor Renate Reinsve and Romanian-born Sebastian Stan.
‘Fjord’ received support from the Danish Film Institute’s minority co-production scheme. It is distributed in Denmark by Øst for Paradis and will be released in Danish cinemas on 14 January.
Growth of the Soil
Hans Petter Moland’s ‘Growth of the Soil’ has been selected as Norway’s Oscar candidate. The film recently had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, followed by its European premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
The film is a story of survival, guilt, freedom and love – and of the tensions between humanity and nature, tradition and modernity.
Danish-Swedish actor Asta August and Norwegian actor Herbert Nordrum play the lead roles. The screenplay is written by Hans Petter Moland and Gard B. Eidsvold, and the film is co-produced by Chris Sanger and Birgitte Skov for Scanbox Production.
‘Growth of the Soil’ received support from the Danish Film Institute’s minority co-production scheme. It is distributed in Denmark by Scanbox Entertainment and will be released in Danish cinemas on 14 January.
Hold On to Me
Myrsini Aristidou’s Cypriot-Danish feature film ‘Hold On to Me’ has been selected as Cyprus’s Oscar candidate.
‘Hold On to Me’ is co-produced by Anders N. Berg for Fredo Pictures. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the Audience Award.
The film follows 11-year-old Iris, who discovers one summer that her estranged father, Aris, has returned to town to attend his own father’s funeral. Iris seeks him out at a run-down shipyard, where he has isolated himself. At first, Aris rejects her, but Iris refuses to give up, and a fragile relationship slowly develops between father and daughter, marked by friction, mischief and unexpected tenderness.
‘Hold On to Me’ received support from the Danish Film Institute’s minority co-production scheme and is distributed in Denmark by Angel Films.
