A Drama About Denmark in the First Years After the Nazi Occupation Becomes the Best Film of the Venice Film Festival
What other films were recognized?
Director of the film "The Unknown Woman" May el-Toukhy holds her award. Photo: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP
The main prize of the Venice Film Festival — the "Golden Lion" — was awarded to the film "The Unknown Woman" by Danish director May el-Toukhy.
It's a drama about Denmark in the first years after the Nazi occupation. The main character works as a nanny and domestic worker and is about to marry her wealthy employer. However, in the past, she had a relationship with a German soldier, and this could ruin her life.
John Malkovich received the award for best actor for his role in the American-Chilean film "Wild Horse Number Nine". Mathilde Arcel was named best actress for her role in the film "The Unknown Woman".
The Grand Jury Prize went to Lee Chang-dong's film "Possible Love".
The jury also awarded a special prize to the documentary film NAZA by Israeli directors Yuval Avraham and Rachel Shor, about Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Ilya Khrzhanovsky received the "Silver Lion" for directing for his film "Dau". The filmmaker renounced his Russian citizenship in 2024 and dedicated his award to the residents of Kharkiv. The film "Dau" tells the story of the life of Soviet physicist Lev Landau and his colleagues.
The festival also showcased a Belarusian film — "Letters from a Silent Country" by documentary filmmaker Andrei Kutsila. It was awarded the "Golden Globe" in Venice for its impact in documentary cinema, in partnership with the Artemis Rising foundation.