Venice Crowns 'Woman Unknown' as a Charged Edition Closes

The Venice Film Festival closed on Saturday by awarding its Golden Lion to 'Woman Unknown', a Danish-made drama directed by May el-Toukhy that follows a servant in the uneasy years after the Second World War, according to The New York Times and The Local Italy. It was the only feature in competition with a female director, and el-Toukhy used the occasion to pay tribute to what Le Monde described as 'invisible and voiceless women'.

The runner-up Silver Lion went to Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love', the New York Times reported. Le Monde noted that Ilia Khrjanovski, who took that prize, dedicated it 'to Ukrainians fighting for freedom', while the Special Jury Prize went to the Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor for their documentary about civilians killed by the Israeli army in Gaza.

Le Monde characterised the edition as politically charged, and the closing night bore that out: a festival that began with red-carpet arguments about war and censorship ended with its two most contested prizes framed as statements. For the Lido, the ceremony confirmed a pattern the foreign press has tracked all season — Venice as a stage where the year's conflicts are argued in acceptance speeches.