Venice Film Festival 2026 Winners Announced

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival has drawn to a close. The jury, presided over by acclaimed actress and director Maggie Gyllenhaal, bestowed the festival’s highest honor, the Golden Lion, upon Danish director May el-Toukhy’s drama, “The Unknown Woman.”

Set against the backdrop of May 1945, the film follows Marie (Mathilde Arcel), a former housemaid who marries her employer, only to find herself ostracized for her past transgressions. With this victory, el-Toukhy becomes the eighth female filmmaker in the festival’s history to claim the Golden Lion.

The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Lee Chang-dong for “Possible Love,” while the Silver Lion for Best Director went to Ilya Khrzhanovsky* for his ambitious, large-scale project, “DAU.”

The Volpi Cups for acting were presented to John Malkovich for his performance in “Wild Horse” and Mathilde Arcel for her role in “The Unknown Woman.”

The complete list of major winners is as follows:

• Golden Lion:
“The Unknown Woman” (dir. May el-Toukhy)

• Grand Jury Prize:
“Possible Love” (dir. Lee Chang-dong)

• Silver Lion for Best Director:
Ilya Khrzhanovsky* (“DAU”)

• Volpi Cup for Best Actor:
John Malkovich (“Wild Horse”)

• Volpi Cup for Best Actress:
Mathilde Arcel (“The Unknown Woman”)

• Best Screenplay:
“A Good Little Soldier”

• Special Jury Prize:
“Naza” (dirs. Yuval Abraham, Rachel Shor)

• Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Talent:
Malou Khebizi (“A Place for Healing”)

• Orizzonti Grand Jury Prize:
“Detour Through Diana” (dirs. Anne Sirot, Raphaël Balboni)

• Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film:
“House of Wind” (dir. Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu)

• FIPRESCI Prize:
“Possible Love” (Main Competition)

Photo: A scene from the film “Wild Horse”

Source: Film.ru