NewzDanish filmmaker May el-Toukhy’s post-war drama Woman Unknown won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, with its star Mathilde Arcel also taking best actress honours in a rare double victory. El-Toukhy was the only woman directing a feature film in the main, 21-strong film line-up, a disparity that drew criticism during the festival and prompted renewed scrutiny of the barriers facing women in cinema. Set in the aftermath of World War II, Woman Unknown follows a housemaid...
VENICE, Italy (AP) — “Woman Unknown,” a drama about Denmark in the aftermath of the Nazi occupation directed by May el-Toukhy, won the prestigious Golden Lion at the 83rd Venice Film Festival on Saturday.The Maggie Gyllenhaal -led jury announced the winners, which included a best actor prize for John Malkovich for his performance in the dark CIA comedy “Wild Horse Nine.”Malkovich was not in attendance at the ceremony, but he sent a video message, explaining that he is shooting in Montreal.“I am humbled to be chosen for this award which has been given to so many wonderful actors,” Malkovich said.El-Toukhy, who was the only woman to have solely directed a film in the main competition this year, is only the eighth woman to have won the festival's top prize.“To me personally, ‘Woman Unknown’ is about the female body as a battleground,” el-Toukhy said. “At the same time the film tells the tale of women who are unseen, invisible and voiceless.”She thanked Gyllenhaal for using her voice to shine a light on unequal opportunities for women in moviemaking.The film is centered on a young nanny and housemaid who is about to marry her wealthy employer in the immediate aftermath of the war. But she harbors a secret past intimate relationship with a German soldier that threatens to upend her reputation.
The lead, Mathilde Arcel, won the festival's best actress prize.Arcel was visibly emotional accepting the award, which she said was very heavy and decided to place on the floor while she spoke.“This is my first lead role in a movie and my first time at a film festival,” she said. “I’m extremely honored.”South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong’s poetic portrait of class and labor, “Possible Love,” won the Silver Lion grand jury prize. “Possible Love” is Lee’s first film in eight years, following his acclaimed “Burning.”“NAZA,” a harrowing documentary about military strategies employed in the war in Gaza from Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, was awarded a special jury prize.“It is really, really especially important to us that Israelis watch this film,” Abraham said.The was added to the main competition late — at the request of the filmmakers — and debuted late in the schedule as well, but its impact was felt as it received a record-breaking standing ovation, lasting some 25 minutes, after its premiere.Shot on the rooftops of Tel Aviv at night in extreme secrecy …
A Danish WWII drama about a woman trying to hide a wartime relationship with a Nazi was awared top prize on Saturday at The Venice Film Festival, while Gaza documentary NAZA snagged the special jury prize. "Unknown Woman" had been a major talking point of the festival due to its subject matter, which has rarely been explored in film, and because director May el-Toukhy was almost alone as a woman director in the event. John Malkovich named best actor; Israeli-made Gaza documentary wins special jury prize
Summary from source