The awards ceremony of the 83rd Venice Film Festival, which closed on 12 September 2026, was marked by a distinctly female directorial gaze. The evening's headline event was the Danish-Swedish-Latvian co-production 'Woman Unknown', which was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Film. The film was directed by May el-Touhy, who thereby joined the exclusive circle of directors to have received the biennale's top prize and became the eighth woman in the festival's history to be so honored. At the same time, the actress playing the lead role, Mathilde Arsel, received the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, making the film a double winner in the main competition.
A story about a war that will not let go
The action of 'Woman Unknown' unfolds in Denmark in the years immediately following the Second World War. At the center of the story is Marie, a young woman working as a nanny and housekeeper for the wealthy widower Christian, whom she intends to marry. The marriage promises her the status of mistress of the house, yet Marie harbors a secret: during the war she had a romantic relationship with a German soldier. When the past returns, the heroine must find a way to protect the life she is trying to build. Behind Marie's personal story, as intended by the filmmakers, lies a broader issue — the fate of women in war and the prejudices that, despite the historical distance, remain relevant in modern society.
The jury and the competition lineup
The 2026 Venice Film Festival ran from 2 to 12 September, and 21 films competed for the top prize. The jury was chaired by the American director, actress, screenwriter and producer Maggie Gyllenhaal; its members also included Kaouther Ben Hania, Daniel Blumberg, Francesco Casetti, Xavier Gagnoli, Shahrbanu Sadat and Johnny To. A notable fact, emphasized in reports from the ceremony: May el-Touhy was the only female director among the 21 Golden Lion contenders who worked without a co-director. The only other film in the competition shot with the involvement of a female director was 'NAZA' by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shorr.
The full picture of the awards
In addition to the Golden Lion and the Volpi Cup, the jury distributed the remaining prizes of the main competition. The Jury Grand Prix (the Silver Lion) went to the film 'Possible Love' by South Korean director Lee Chang-dong. The Silver Lion for Best Direction was awarded to Ilya Khrzhanovsky for 'DAU', a co-production of Germany, France and Sweden. The Best Screenplay prize was presented to Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amedeo and Olivier Gorset for 'Un bon petit soldat' ('A Good Little Soldier'). The Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor was given to Malu Hebizi for her role in '15/18' ('A Place Where One Can Heal'). The Venice Spotlight (Armani Beauty) Audience Award was given to 'I Matter' ('Eu contez') by director Alina Șerban, while the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a First Film went to 'La maison du vent' ('The House of the Wind') by Auguste Bernard Cuoem Yanghu.
'NAZA' and war as a theme of the times
The documentary 'NAZA', directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shorr and produced by The Guardian and JW Films in the United Kingdom, received a special jury prize in the main competition program. The award became one of the festival's main events: the film about the war in the Gaza Strip was recognized in the main competition program, adding a contemporary dimension to Venice 2026. Together with 'Woman Unknown', which explores the wounds inflicted by war on women, 'NAZA' made the rethinking of war and its consequences — from historical, social and humanitarian perspectives — the through-line theme of this year's Venice.
