2026/09/13 07:30
[Reporter Zhong Zhijun/Comprehensive Report] The 83rd Venice Film Festival awards awards this morning (13th) Taiwan time. The famous South Korean director Lee Chang-dong, who was originally regarded as the "Golden Lion favorite", finally missed the highest honor! "Woman, Unknown" (tentative translation, "Woman, Unknown") directed by Danish female director Maya Tucci unexpectedly won the Golden Lion, and the heroine Mathilde Axel also won the Best Actress Award, becoming the only work to win "double awards" in this year's main competition.
Li Cangdong won the Jury Prize for "If Love Is If". (Photo taken from official IG)
Li Changdong's "If Love Is If" (가능한 사랑) won the "Jury Award" second only to the Golden Lion. Hong Kong director Johnnie To, one of the judges, personally presented the award to him, and there was warm applause.
Please read on...
"Unknown Woman" is the only one "directed solely" by a woman among the 21 films in this year's main competition. The story takes the audience back to Denmark after World War II. A young maid, Marie, is about to marry a wealthy widower, Christian. She is about to transform from a servant to a hostess, but she hides a secret that can ruin her new life.
Hong Kong director Johnnie To (left) presents the "Jury Award" to Li Cangdong. (Reproduced from official YouTube)
"Unknown Woman" brings to the screen how the female body still becomes a "battlefield" for judgment after war. It also caused controversy on the Internet after winning the award due to the controversy over the low proportion of female directors this year. Some people praised the jury for their strong stance, while others questioned whether the work was really strong enough to outshine other popular films.
As for Lee Chang-dong's new film "If Love Is If" released after 8 years, it has a dream cast composed of Jeon Do-yeon, Seol Kyung-gu, Zhao In-sung, and Cao Ru-zhen. Through the intersection of two couples with completely different classes, the gap between marriage, desire and class is torn apart.
"Unknown Woman", the only film directed by a female director this year, won the Golden Lion for Best Film. (Photo taken from official IG)
"What If" has previously won the FIPRESCI International Film Critics Award, and the jury praised it. This work explores exploitation and class, love and desire, ownership and "the ethics of storytelling", showing subtle power relations on multiple levels with complex rhythms.
The last time Lee Chang-dong entered the Venice main competition was "Oasis" in 2002, and he won the Silver Lion for Best Director that year. Now he has won the Grand Prize from Venice again after 24 years. Although he failed to win another Golden Lion for Korean films (the only Golden Lion in South Korea so far is the late director Kim Ki-duk's "Sorrow"), he still wrote a beautiful comeback.
"Unknown Woman" won the Golden Lion for Best Film. (Photo taken from official IG)
Another documentary "NAZA" that caused a stir in the second half of the festival was awarded the "Special Jury Prize". The film was directed by Israeli directors Yofa Abraham and Rachel Thaw. The film was shot entirely on a Tel Aviv rooftop at night. Through the testimony of 24 insiders, the film investigated the Israeli military's military targeting and killing mechanisms in the Gaza War. After the film premiered, it received applause for about 25 minutes, making it the most politically shocking film this year.
★ List of winners of the "Main Competition" of the 83rd Venice Film Festival (most of the films are temporary translations):
Golden Lion Award for Best Film: "The Unknown Woman" (Denmark, Sweden, Latvia)
Silver Lion Award for Best Director: "DAU" Ilya Khrzhanovsky (Russia)
Jury Prize: "If Love Is If" (South Korea)
Special Jury Prize: "NAZA" (Israel, United States, United Kingdom)
Best Actor: John Markovich (USA), "Wild Nine"
Best Actress: Mathilde Axel (Denmark), "The Unknown Woman"
Best New Actor: "15/18" Mallo Herbizi (France)
Best Screenplay: "The Little Soldier" (France)
Future Lion Award: "The Wind Rises" (Cameroon, France)
Tabulation/Reporter Zhong Zhijun
No need to draw, no need to grab. Now use the APP to read the news. You are guaranteed to win every day. Click me to download the APP. Click me to see the event details.
