Danish director May el-Toukhy won the Golden Lion for best film at the 83rd Venice Film Festival on Saturday for “Kvinde ukendt”, while lead actress Mathilde Arcel took the festival’s best actress prize.
The award was handed over during Saturday evening’s ceremony in Venice by jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal and festival president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. DR reports that the Golden Lion is considered one of the most important prizes in world cinema.
It is the first time a female Danish director has won the prize, and only the second Danish win overall. According to DR, no Danish film had taken the Golden Lion for 71 years. Carl Th. Dreyer won it for “Ordet” in 1955.
Two historic prizes
Lead actress Mathilde Arcel received the prize for best female lead at the same ceremony. As reported by DR, she is the first Danish actor to win the festival’s official acting award. Two major Venice prizes for a single Danish film is without precedent.
The trade outlet The Film Verdict lists the winning title as a Denmark, Sweden and Latvia co-production. It also confirms that Arcel’s award was the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, presented on September 12, 2026.
In a press release quoted by DR, el-Toukhy said she was deeply overwhelmed. She described the film as being about women who have been made invisible and denied the right to tell their own story. Recognition on this scale therefore felt particularly strong, per the director.
“Kvinde ukendt” follows a young woman named Marie, who is about to marry a wealthy widower. When Denmark is liberated in May 1945, she fears that a secret could destroy everything.
El-Toukhy directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Maren Louise Käehne. The pair had the same division of work on “Dronningen” in 2019. El-Toukhy has also directed “Lang historie kort” and four episodes of the Netflix series “The Crown”.
The film competed against 20 other titles in the festival’s main competition. Among them were “Primetime” with Robert Pattinson and “Bunker” with Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, according to DR.
The film travels on to the Toronto Film Festival next week, where it screens for the press on Tuesday. Its Danish theatrical premiere is set for February 4, 2027.
