"Golden Lion" for "The Unknown Woman" – Venice Festival's Top Prize Goes to Denmark

The award winners of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, held from September 2 to 12, have been announced. The closing ceremony at the "Sala Grande" was hosted by actress and director Greta Scarano and actor Nicolas Maupas. The winners of the main competition were revealed by a jury led by American actress and director Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The festival's top prize, the "Golden Lion," was awarded to the drama *The Unknown Woman* by Egyptian-born Danish director May el-Toukhy.
It is worth noting that 21 films competed in the main program, and May el-Toukhy was the only female director among them. Her film is set in Denmark in the aftermath of World War II. Marie works as a nanny and housekeeper for a wealthy widower and is preparing to marry him. However, she harbors a secret: she once had an intimate relationship with a German soldier, and this past connection jeopardizes her future. Mathilde Arcel, who plays the lead role, was awarded the "Volpi Cup" for Best Actress.
The "Silver Lion"—considered the festival's second most important award—went to South Korean director Lee Chang-dong for the film *Possible Love*. Russian director Ilya Khrzhanovsky was honored in the "Best Director" category for the film *Dau*. The film centers on the renowned Soviet physicist Lev Landau (1908–1968), who was born in Baku.
The "Best Actor" award went to American actor John Malkovich for *Wild Horses* (directed by Martin McDonagh, Ireland).
The "Special Jury Prize" was awarded to Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor for their documentary *Naza*. The film deals with the mass killing of civilians during the war waged by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.
French actress Malou Khebizi received the Marcello Mastroianni Award in the "Best Young Actor or Actress" category.
Additionally, 65-year-old American filmmaker George Clooney and 93-year-old actress Ellen Burstyn were honored with the honorary "Golden Lion" for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Festival.
At the closing ceremony, awards were also presented to the feature films and documentaries selected for the festival's "Orizzonti" (Horizons) program, as well as to the directors and actors in the respective categories. In this program, Iranian actress Laleh Marzban won the "Best Performance" award for her role in the film *The Collapsed House* (directed by Milad Khosravi), while Lebanese-Moroccan director Shaden Safieddine Tazi was honored for the short film *A Few Moments of Happiness*.
It is worth noting that the Venice International Film Festival—held for the 83rd time this year—is one of the three most prestigious festivals in European and world cinema (alongside Cannes and Berlin) and holds the distinction of being the longest-running film competition in history, having first taken place in 1934.