We are happy to announce that Vue Lumière has acquired the rights for May el-Toukhy's Golden Lion Winner WOMAN UNKNOWN and will be bringing the film to UK and Ireland audiences.
The deal was negotiated between Eve Gabereau, Director of Distribution at Vue Lumière and Susan Wendt, Managing Director of TrustNordisk.
“WOMAN UNKNOWN is such a moving and pivotal story with a phenomenal central performance that packs a serious punch. It leaves you breathless and on the edge of your seat. We cannot wait for audiences in the UK and Ireland to experience it on the Big Screen, starting in Competition at the BFI London Film Festival this month and following on from its Golden Lion and Volpi Cup awards in Venice,” says Gabereau.
“I am thrilled to have Vue Lumière onboard. Their enthusiasm for the film reflects in a significant release strategy that will ensure that WOMAN UNKNOWN will be able to reach a wide audience in the UK and Ireland,” says Susan Wendt.
Vue Lumière joins a string of new countries acquiring the right for WOMAN UNKNOWN as TrustNordisk has recently closed deals for Germany and Austria (Weltkino), France (Memento), Spain (Karma Films), Poland (Best Film), Portugal (Nitrato Filmes), the former Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom Film), Switzerland (Filmcoopi) and Bulgaria (Beta Film). Previously announced deals include Italy (Lucky Red), Benelux (September Film), Latin America (California Filmes), Greece and Cyprus (Neo Films) and the Baltics (Estin Film).
WOMAN UNKNOWN will screen in competition at the BFI London Film Festival starting today. After this the film will continue its festival run in October with screenings at Riga International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival. Last month, May el-Toukhy’s took home the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival while actress Mathilde Arcel was awarded with the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her leading role in the film. Late September the film was also selected as the official Danish entry for the Best International Feature Film category for the 99th Academy Awards®.
Since May el-Toukhy’s debut LONG STORY SHORT (2015) the director 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.
About Vue Lumière
At Vue Lumière, we search the world to find and bring home the very best independent films. Backed by Vue, Europe’s leading cinema operator, together we give international and independent films the big screen showcase they deserve. From Little Amelie, an enchanting Oscar® and BAFTA-nominated animation from France and three collections of Bluey at the Cinema released in the UK & Ireland and across Europe, to Kokuho, Japan’s biggest ever live-action film and Italian breakout There's Still Tomorrow, we shine a light on exceptional cinema from around the world. Further highlights include Virginia Woolf’s Night & Day starring Haley Bennett, Jack Whitehall, Jennifer Saunders and Timothy Spall, The Thing with Feathers starring Benedict Cumberbatch, award-winning Brides from director Nadia Fall, Nobel Prize-winner Kazuo Ishiguro adaptation A Pale View of Hills, 100 Nights of Hero starring Emma Corrin, Maika Monroe, Nicholas Galitzine, Charli xcx, Felicity Jones and Richard E Grant, and documentary Broken English about Marianne Faithfull and featuring Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Nick Cave, Courtney Love, Suki Waterhouse and others.
Our parent company Vue is the largest privately owned cinema operator in Europe spanning eight countries, and more than 200 sites and 2000 screens.