VENICE, Italy: \u201cWoman Unknown,\u201d a drama about Denmark in the aftermath of the Nazi occupation directed by May el-Toukhy, won the prestigious Golden Lion at the 83rd Venice Film Festival on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The Maggie Gyllenhaal -led jury announced the winners, which included a best actor prize for John Malkovich for his performance in the dark CIA comedy \u201cWild Horse Nine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Malkovich was not in attendance at the ceremony, but he sent a video message, explaining that he is shooting in Montreal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am humbled to be chosen for this award which has been given to so many wonderful actors,\u201d Malkovich said.<\/p>\n
Only 8 women have won a Golden Lion<\/strong><\/p>\n El-Toukhy, who was the only woman to have solely directed a film in the main competition this year, is the eighth woman to have won the festival\u2019s top prize.<\/p>\n \u201cTo me personally, \u2018Woman Unknown\u2019 is about the female body as a battleground,\u201d el-Toukhy said. \u201cAt the same time the film tells the tale of women who are unseen, invisible and voiceless.\u201d<\/p>\n She thanked Gyllenhaal for using her voice to shine a light on unequal opportunities for women in moviemaking.<\/p>\n The film, which does not yet have distribution in North America, is centered on a young nanny and housemaid who is about to marry her wealthy employer in the immediate aftermath of the war. But she harbors a secret past intimate relationship with a German soldier that threatens to upend her reputation. The lead, Mathilde Arcel, won the festival\u2019s best actress prize.<\/p>\n Arcel was visibly emotional as she accepted the award, which she placed on the floor as she spoke as she said it was very heavy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is my first lead role in a movie and my first time at a film festival,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m extremely honored.\u201d<\/p>\n South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong\u2019s poetic portrait of class and labor, \u201cPossible Love,\u201d won the Silver Lion grand jury prize. \u201cPossible Love\u201d is Lee\u2019s first film in eight years, following his acclaimed \u201cBurning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are living in an era where the meaning of labor is fading and human connections are increasingly becoming severed,\u201d Lee said through a translator. \u201cI made this film to ask what cinema can and should do in times like these. I take this award as a sign that you want me to keep asking these questions.\u201d<\/p>\n Gaza documentary takes special jury prize<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNAZA,\u201d a harrowing documentary about military strategies employed in the war in Gaza from Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, was awarded a special jury prize.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s honestly not very easy to stand here, thinking of all the people, the Israeli politicians, the journalists back home who are attacking this film, denying it without even seeing it,\u201d Abraham said. \u201cIt is really, really especially important to us that Israelis watch this film.\u201d<\/p>\n The was added to the main competition late \u2014 at the request of the filmmakers \u2014 and debuted late in the schedule as well, but its impact was felt as it received a record-breaking standing ovation, lasting some 25 minutes, after its premiere.<\/p>\n Shot on the rooftops of Tel Aviv at night in extreme secrecy over three years, \u201cNAZA\u201d features testimony from 24 Israeli military insiders including intelligence officers and soldiers give who insight into the war in Gaza and what they say is the systemic killing of Palestinian civilians.<\/p>\n The jury gave the Silver Lion for directing to Ilya Krzhanovsky for his film \u201cDau,\u201d a project about the Soviet physicists who built the atomic bomb that has taken over 20 years to make. Krzhanovsky, who renounced his Russian citizenship in protest of the war in Ukraine, dedicated the prize to Ukrainians, including his mother who was born there.<\/p>\n French director St\u00e9phane Briz\u00e9\u2019s won the screenplay prize for his corporate drama \u201cA Good Little Soldier.\u201d Malou Khebizi was given the Marcello Mastroianni award for emerging actor for her role in C\u00e9dric Kahn\u2019s \u201cA Place to Heal,\u201d which is set in an adolescent psychiatric ward in a public hospital.<\/p>\n The jury this year included \u201cThe Voice of Hind Rajab\u201d director Kaouther Ben Hania, English composer Daniel Blumberg, French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To.<\/p>\n Malkovich\u2019s Oscar chances just went up<\/strong><\/p>\n Aside from Malkovich\u2019s win, the starrier, Hollywood films playing in competition were shut out of the awards, including \u201cPrimetime,\u201d \u201cBunker\u201d and \u201cInk.\u201d<\/p>\n Some look to the Venice Film Festival awards for early indications of who might be in with a shot at Oscar nominations and wins. In recent years, Venice has launched winning best actor campaigns for people like Brendan Fraser and Adrien Brody.<\/p>\n Malkovich has yet to win an Oscar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Director](\"https:\/\/assets.maestronewsroom.com\/media\/30f6532d-717b-4366-9158-9c455299fcd9\/1789259564916-4edd157a5d1fdc6c.jpg\")
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