The Danish drama “Kvinde ukendt” won the Golden Lion for best film at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, the first Danish win in 71 years.
Director May el-Toukhy received the festival’s top prize in Venice on the evening of September 12. DR reports that lead actress Mathilde Arcel also took the Coppa Volpi for best actress, giving the film two main awards.
Producer Mikael Rieks told DR by phone around midnight that he dared to call the result historic. He said the team was asked late Friday to fly to Venice, which suggested some form of recognition was coming.
It is the first time a female Danish director has won the Golden Lion. It is only the second Danish win overall, after Carl Th. Dreyer received the prize for “Ordet” in 1955.
According to Reuters, the double award for one film is a rare outcome at the festival. The Danish Film Institute described Venice as the world’s oldest film festival and one of the most prestigious in the industry.
Representation debate at the festival
The film was the only one of 21 titles in the main competition directed by a woman alone. Israeli director Rachel Szor was also represented as co-director of the documentary “NAZA”, made with Yuval Abraham.
Reuters wrote that the question of representation featured heavily during the festival. In her acceptance speech, el-Toukhy thanked jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal for speaking about unequal opportunities for female filmmakers.
Rieks said the team felt the discussion in Venice. He linked it to the film itself, which deals with women’s voices through history and with the Danish and European women known as “tyskertøser” after the occupation.
At a press conference after the ceremony, Gyllenhaal was asked whether the jury intended to send a political signal, Variety reports. She stressed that the decision was above all about a beautifully made film and its qualities.
Rieks, who produced the film for Nordisk Film, pointed to the order of the jury’s reasoning. He noted that the artistic level, the storytelling and the acting were named before the story’s subject matter.
The producer, who is el-Toukhy’s partner, said the jury’s focus was reassuring. He added that he is tired of hearing the win explained by the director’s gender, and called her a highly skilled director. Danish films have drawn growing international attention in recent years.
“Kvinde ukendt” had its world premiere in Venice on Monday, September 7. It moved on to the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10 and opens in Danish cinemas in February 2027.
