Here are the winners of the 2026 Venice Film Festival

It was a huge night for May el-Toukhy: The Danish filmmaker took home the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival for her film, Woman Unknown, while her lead, Mathilde Arcel, was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actress by a jury headed by filmmaker and actor Maggie Gyllenhaal. Described as a “stylish” drama, Woman Unknown is set after World War II and follows a nanny (Arcel) whose past relationship with a German officer disrupts her plans to marry a wealthy older man, the woman’s employer, played by Carsten Bjørnlund. As she accepted the award, el-Toukhy said, “For me personally, Woman Unknown talks about the woman’s body as a battlefield. At the same time, the film tells the story of invisible women who are not and who do not have a voice… Thank you to the jury for this wonderful honor, [and] thank you especially to you, Maggie, because you use your voice [to talk about] the lack of equal opportunities for the directors in the [competition].” The last time a woman won the Golden Lion was in 2022, when Laura Poitras won for her documentary, All the Beauty And The Bloodshed.

The drama beat out other buzzy films, including Werner Herzog’s Rooney and Kate Mara-starring Bucking Fastard, Liam Oppenheim’s Primetime; Danny Boyle’s Ink, and Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, the latter of which was considered a festival darling and scored a 13-minute standing ovation (not the fest’s longest this year, however. We’ll get to that). McDonagh’s film didn’t go home empty-handed, however, as star John Malkovich, the current awards-season hype machine, took the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his role in the black comedy as a terminally ill CIA operative. Malkovich accepted his award in a recorded message. “I am really glad to have been chosen for this award, which has been given to many actors,” he said. “Thanks to Martin McDonagh for having written an incredible screenplay and for his exceptional direction and for having given me, in fact, the opportunity to play this fantastic role. Thanks to all my colleagues, especially Sam Rockwell. Unfortunately, I can’t be there with you. I would have loved to be there, but I am currently filming another film.”

Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love, a knotty social drama about two families from different economic backgrounds selected for a documentary by a wealthy filmmaker, won the Silver Lion, the festival’s Grand Jury Prize. This win puts some additional awards-season steam behind the film, as it has already been selected to represent South Korea in the best international feature race this Oscar season. The Silver Lion for Best Director went to Ilya Khrzhanovsky for DAU, the Russian filmmaker’s controversial film about Soviet theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner Lev Landau. The Special Jury Prize went to Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor for their electrifying documentary NAZA, which examines the role of Israeli military and intelligence in the targeting of Palestinians amid the ongoing Gaza war. NAZA now holds the distinction of the longest recorded standing ovation in Venice. “It’s certainly not easy for us to be here,” Abraham said as the duo accepted their award to rapturous applause.

The full Venice Film Festival winners list can be read below.

Golden Lion for Best Film: Woman Unknown, May el-Toukhy

Silver Lion, Grand Jury Prize: Possible Love, Lee Chang-dong

Silver Lion for Best Director: Ilya Khrzhanovsky, DAU

Special Jury Prize: NAZA, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor

Award for Best Screenplay: A Good Little Soldier, Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amédéo and Olivier Gorce