Denmark has selected May el-Toukhy’s Woman Unknown as its entry to the best international feature Oscar award.
The film, el-Toukhy’s third feature, won the Golden Lion for best film at Venice Film Festival earlier this month.
Set in the aftermath of the Second World War, it follows Marie, a young nanny and housemaid, who is about to marry the wealthy older widower for whom she works. But she has a secret: that she was in a relationship with a German soldier during the war. It stars Mathilde Arcel, who won the Volpi Cup for best actress at Venice for her performance.
The film is written by el-Toukhy and Maren Louise Kaehne, and produced by Mikael Rieks for Nordisk Film Production, with Nafta Films, Nordisk Film Production Sweden and Film i Väst.
Support comes from the Danish Film Institute, Eurimages - Council of Europe, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Riga City Council, Nordisk Film & TV Fund, DR, the Swedish Film Institute, SVT, LIAA, Riga Film Fund, TrustNordisk and Zentropa. TrustNordisk handles international sales on the film, which Nordisk Film Distribution will release in Denmark.
Woman Unknown had its North American premiere as a Centrepiece title at Toronto, and will play at BFI London Film Festival, Busan and Riga during October.
Denmark has a strong history with the international feature award, having won in 2021 with Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round and 2011 with Susanne Bier’s In A Better World. It also scored nominations in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022, and most recently in 2025 with The Girl With The Needle. The 2026 entry Mr Nobody Against Putin was not nominated for the international award, but won best documentary at the Oscars and Baftas.
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