TrustNordisk is proud to share that Toronto International Film Festival has just revealed that May el-Toukhy’s WOMAN UNKNOWN has been selected for this year’s festival. WOMAN UNKNOWN will screen in the Centrepiece section in Toronto and will celebrate its North American premiere at the festival.
Less than two weeks ago it was announced that the film was selected for Competition at the upcoming Venice Film Festival and moments after picked up for Italian distribution by Lucky Red.
May el-Toukhy's upcoming Danish feature film, WOMAN UNKNOWN, is a suspenseful and sophisticated psychological drama starring the new rising star Mathilde Arcel (SECOND VICTIMS; SPECIAL UNIT – THE FIRST MURDER) in the leading role. Arcel is supported by Carsten Bjørnlund (THE LEGACY), Thorbjørn Hedegaard (GENERATIONS), Marina Bouras (SONS; THE IDIOTS) among others in a story about a young woman desperately trying to erase the past and rewrite her life.
Ready for the next step. I can’t imagine a better way to continue the festival run of Woman Unknown than having the North American premiere at TIFF. The film is already generating strong buzz, and we look forward to presenting it to Toronto’s always engaged audience”, says Susan Wendt, Managing Director at TrustNordisk.
Since her debut LONG STORY SHORT (2015) director May el-Toukhy has proven her exceptional talent for directing emotionally charged and character-driven dramas. Her second feature film QUEEN OF HEARTS (2019) world premiered at Sundance International Film Festival and received numerous awards at festivals all over the world e.g. the Audience Award at Sundance, the Nordic Council Film Prize and 3 awards at Gothenburg International Film Festival, to name a few.
Besides feature films, el-Toukhy has directed several episodes of popular series such as THE LEGACY (2017), RIDE UPON THE STORM (2017), CRY WOLF (2020) and several episodes of THE CROWN (2022-2023). May el-Toukhy is also among the five filmmakers in the artistic collective behind the Danish DOGMA 25-initiative.
WOMAN UNKNOWN is el-Toukhy’s third feature film with which she continues her long-term co-operation with screenwriter Maren Louise Käehne (LONG STORY SHORT; QUEEN OF HEARTS, THE BRIDGE, BORGEN).
SYNOPSIS
Marie, a young nanny and housemaid, is about to marry the wealthy older widower, Christian, for whom she is working. But Marie guards a shameful secret. During World War II, she was in an intimate relationship with a German soldier. Now Marie’s past threatens to catch up with her, and she is forced to do everything in her power to preserve her new status as lady of the house in post-war anarchy.
WOMAN UNKNOWN is directed by May el-Toukhy, written by May el-Toukhy and Maren Louise Käehne and produced by Mikael Rieks (LAND OF MINE; BOUNDLESS; APPLAUSE) for Nordisk Film Production A/S in co-production with Nafta Films, Nordisk Film Production Sweden and Film i Väst with support from The Danish Film Institute, Eurimages - Council of Europe, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Riga City Council, Nordisk Film & TV Fund, DR, The Swedish Film Institute, SVT, LIAA, Riga Film Fund, TrustNordisk and Zentropa. Local distribution by Nordisk Film Distribution. TrustNordisk handles international sales.
The 51st Toronto International Film Festival will take place from September 10th – 20th 2026.
