Venice Film Festival 2026, «Woman Unknown» of May el-Toukhy wins the Golden Lion

May el-Toukhy’s Woman Unknown takes Venice’s top prize

Usagevpn.com – The 83rd Venice International Film Festival concluded with the Golden Lion going to Woman Unknown, directed by May el-Toukhy. The Denmark, Sweden and Latvia co-production emerged from a competition led by jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal, bringing together 21 films that ranged from political nonfiction to international dramas and major Hollywood productions.

The festival’s final awards reflected a competition shaped not only by its variety of styles, but also by unusually intense audience responses. Several premieres drew lengthy standing ovations, helping turn Venice screenings into major talking points during the festival.

A post-war drama built around secrecy

Woman Unknown centres on Marie, played by Mathilde Arcel, a young nanny and housekeeper preparing to marry Christian, the wealthy older widower for whom she works. Carsten Bjørnlund plays Christian. With the prospect of becoming the lady of the house, Marie appears ready to enter a secure new life in the instability that follows the Second World War.

Yet her future is threatened by a secret from the wartime years: Marie had an intimate relationship with a German Nazi soldier. The film follows the psychological pressure she faces as her past risks resurfacing and she struggles to protect the social position she has fought to obtain.

Arcel’s performance earned her the Coppa Volpi for best actress. Her award was one of the evening’s key recognitions for the Golden Lion winner, placing particular emphasis on the film’s portrait of a woman caught between private guilt, class ambition and the lasting consequences of war.

Naza receives the Special Jury Prize

The Special Jury Prize went to Naza, a documentary co-directed by Israeli filmmakers Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham. Added to the programme late, the film became one of the most discussed titles in the competition after receiving a 25-minute ovation at its premiere, described as the longest standing ovation ever recorded at the festival.

The documentary features Israeli military insiders discussing the war in Gaza and what they describe as the systematic killing of Palestinian civilians. It was the sole documentary in this year’s competition and one of only two films across the full festival lineup directed by women.

Its recognition underlined the place of politically urgent nonfiction within a programme otherwise filled with narrative cinema. The response to Naza also demonstrated how Venice can become a forum for films addressing events that remain immediate, contested and emotionally charged beyond the screen.

John Malkovich wins best actor

John Malkovich received the Coppa Volpi for best actor for his role in Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine. The dark comedy follows two CIA agents travelling to Easter Island shortly before Chile’s military coup of 1973. Sam Rockwell also stars in the film, whose premiere prompted an ovation lasting more than 10 minutes.

Malkovich and Rockwell’s performances were among the elements attracting attention at the screening. For McDonagh, the Venice premiere continued a notable relationship with the festival. He previously brought Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin to Venice, receiving screenplay awards for both works. Colin Farrell also won an acting prize for The Banshees of Inisherin.

The award for Malkovich adds another Venice honour to a competition where familiar screen names appeared alongside emerging performers and filmmakers from across the world.

Recognition for emerging talent and screenwriting

Malou Khebizi won the Marcello Mastroianni Award, presented for best young actor or actress, for her performance in Cédric Kahn’s 15/18 (A Place to Heal). The French drama follows two teenage girls admitted to the psychiatric ward of a public hospital, tracing their experiences within the institution.

The prize highlights a film focused on adolescence and mental health through the perspective of its young characters. In a festival often associated with established auteurs and high-profile premieres, the Mastroianni Award remains an important marker of a breakthrough performance.

The best screenplay award, the Miglior Sceneggiatura, went to Un bon petit soldat (A Good Little Soldier), directed by Stéphane Brizé. The drama features Alba Rohrwacher as Clara, a 43-year-old business executive whose outwardly successful career conceals growing personal insecurity.

Clara has built a life defined by professional achievement, but the demands of that success have often affected her family relationships. Newly hired as a human resources manager at a major corporation, she is asked to support employees’ wellbeing while still meeting performance targets imposed by her boss.

Her situation becomes increasingly difficult when she uncovers toxic management within the company. The discovery forces Clara into compromises that challenge both her professional role and her emotional limits, placing her close to a breaking point.

A competition defined by contrasts

This year’s Venice competition moved between historical drama, workplace pressure, psychiatric care, espionage satire and documentary testimony. The final prize list reflected that breadth: a post-war story of concealment won the Golden Lion, a politically charged documentary took the Special Jury Prize, and acting honours went to performers at very different stages of their careers.

The 2026 edition also showed the enduring influence of the audience response at Venice. Applause does not determine the jury’s verdict, but long ovations can elevate a film’s visibility and shape the wider conversation around it. With Naza setting a new ovation record and Wild Horse Nine receiving an extended reception of its own, the festival’s most memorable moments unfolded both during the films and after their final frames.