The 83rd Venice International Film Festival concluded with a notable lineup of awards, recognizing excellence in cinema across multiple categories. May el-Toukhy’s film Woman Unknown took home the Golden Lion for best film, marking a significant moment in the festival's history. The film also earned Mathilde Arcel the Volpi Cup for best actress, a distinction that surprised some critics given Venice’s usual practice of limiting awards to one per film. Maggie Gyllenhaal, president of the jury, explained that an exception was made because all jurors agreed on the actress's performance. El-Toukhy became the eighth woman to win the Golden Lion in the festival’s history. Woman Unknown was the only film in the main competition solely directed by a woman.
In her acceptance speech, el-Toukhy expressed gratitude to Gyllenhaal for addressing gender imbalance in filmmaking at the start of the festival, according to The Guardian. She spoke about how difficult it was to make the film, both financially and emotionally, but emphasized her mission to bring attention to lesser-known women from history. El-Toukhy had also spoken during the festival about the difficulties women face in securing financing for films.
Lee Chang-dong received the Grand Jury Prize for his film Possible Love, a story about a laid-off worker and his spouse whose lives cross with a documentary filmmaker and her wealthy husband, according to a report from The Guardian. The jury praised the director’s thoughtful storytelling and emotional depth in depicting complex relationships within a troubled social setting. The film marked Lee’s return to feature filmmaking eight years after Burning.
Ilya Khrzhanovsky won the Silver Lion for best director for his ambitious project DAU, which focuses on the life of Soviet physicist Lev Landau. DAU was filmed in Kharkiv between 2008 and 2011, before the conflict began in that region. Khrzhanovsky dedicated his award to Ukraine.
The documentary NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, was honored with a special jury prize for its investigation into AI use during Israel’s Gaza operations. Abraham noted that many Israeli figures are attacking the film without even watching it, which he found deeply troubling. The film is based on testimony from 24 Israeli military insiders. Israel has denied allegations made in the documentary.
John Malkovich received recognition for his role in Wild Horse Nine, a satirical film by Martin McDonagh set in 1973 Chile. The film featured Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA operatives dealing with moral exhaustion and political manipulation. Malkovich was not at the ceremony and accepted the award through a video message from Canada.
Some hoped Wild Horse Nine would win the top prize, but it instead took home the Volpi Cup for best actor. The festival also awarded several other honors including best screenplay and best young actor. Among the recipients was Malou Khebizi for her performance in 15/18 A Place to Heal. The Armani Beauty audience award went to Eu contez (I Matter), directed by Alina Șerban. Best screenplay went to Un bon petit soldat (A Good Little Soldier), written by Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amédéo and Olivier Gorce.
The Luigi De Laurentiis award for debut film was given to La maison du vent (House of the Wind) by Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu. The film also received the Special Jury Prize in the Orizzonti section.