Danish filmmaker May el-Toukhy’s post-WWII drama “Woman Unknown” won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, with its star Mathilde Arcel also taking best actress honors in a rare double victory.
El-Toukhy was the only woman to solely direct a feature film in the main, 21-strong movie 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 the Nazi occupation, “Woman Unknown” follows a housemaid played by Arcel whose past relationship with a German soldier threatens to destroy her future.
The film unfolds against the backdrop of a newly liberated Denmark, where women accused of fraternizing with occupying German forces were often subjected to vigilante justice.
“To me personally, ‘Woman Unknown’ is about the female body as a battleground and a public matter. And at the same time, the film tells the tale of women who are invisible, unseen, and voiceless,” el-Toukhy said in her acceptance speech.
