May el-Toukhy’s WOMAN UNKNOWN has just been awarded with the Golden Lion at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival while Mathilde Arcel receives the Volpi Cup for Best Actress.
It has been more than 70 years since a Danish film won the prestigious Golden Lion in Venice. The last time was in 1955, when Carl Th. Dreyer’s THE WORD (ORDET) received the festival’s top prize. Mathilde Arcel is the first Danish actress in history to receive the Volpi Cup for Best Actress.
WOMAN UNKNOWN world-premiered in Venice on September 6th to rave reviews praising Arcel's performance in the film especially. Following its premiere in Venice, WOMAN UNKNOWN will continue its festival run at TIFF in the Centrepiece section followed by BFI London Film Festival, Riga International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival.
WOMAN UNKNOWN marks the first artistic collaboration between the May el-Toukhy and Mathilde Arcel. In previous years, the actress has secured herself as a rising star with roles in films such as SECOND VICTIMS (2025) and SPECIAL UNIT – THE FIRST MURDER (2025). In WOMAN UNKNOWN, Arcel shines in the leading role as a young woman desperately trying to erase the past and rewrite her life.
WOMAN UNKNOWN is May el-Toukhy’s third feature following her widely acclaimed QUEEN OF HEARTS (2019) which world premiered at Sundance International Film Festival and received numerous awards at festivals all over the world incl. the Audience Award at Sundance, the Nordic Council Film Prize and 3 awards at Gothenburg International Film Festival, to name a few.
WOMAN UNKNOWN continues el-Toukhy’s longtime collaboration with Maren Louise Käehne as co-writer (LONG STORY SHORT; QUEEN OF HEARTS).
WOMAN UNKNOWN follows Marie, a young nanny and housemaid, who 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.