Venice Film Festival 2026 winners: Woman Unknown takes the Golden Lion

The Venice Film Festival 2026 awards were led by Kvinde Ukendt (Woman Unknown), directed by Danish filmmaker May el-Toukhy, which received the Golden Lion for Best Film at the close of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. Held between September 2 and 12, the festival concluded with the official awards ceremony on Saturday, September 12.

The main competition jury was chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal and also included Kaouther Ben Hania, Daniel Blumberg, Francesco Casetti, Xavier Giannoli, Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Johnnie To. After considering all 21 films in competition, the jury awarded the festival’s highest honor to el-Toukhy’s film.

The Golden Lion was accompanied by a second major prize for Woman Unknown, with Mathilde Arcel receiving the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. The double recognition made the film the central winner of the closing ceremony and placed el-Toukhy’s work at the heart of the final verdict.

Possible Love, Dau, and NAZA among the Venice Film Festival 2026 winners

The Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize went to Ga-neung-han Sa-rang (Possible Love) by Lee Chang-dong, marking another major international festival result for the South Korean filmmaker. The film also received the FIPRESCI Prize in the main competition, earning recognition both in the official jury verdict and among international film critics.

Ilya Khrzhanovsky won the Silver Lion for Best Director for Dau. The award placed one of the festival’s most ambitious projects among the key titles of the main competition.

The Special Jury Prize went to NAZA by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. The documentary was also repeatedly recognized by independent juries during the festival, sharing the Green Drop Award with Paolo Strippoli’s L’estranea (The Spiral), receiving the Cinema for UNICEF mention connected to the Leoncino d’Oro, and earning the Sorriso Diverso Venezia Award for Best Director Under 35.

The accumulation of official and collateral recognition made NAZA one of the most visible films in the overall awards landscape of the edition.

Acting and screenplay prizes at the Venice Film Festival 2026

Alongside Mathilde Arcel’s Volpi Cup, John Malkovich received the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his performance in Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine.

The Best Screenplay award went to Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amédéo and Olivier Gorce for Un bon petit soldat (A Good Little Soldier), directed by Brizé. The film also performed strongly among the collateral awards, receiving the Film Impresa Special Prize, the Interfilm Award for Promoting Interreligious Dialogue, and the Sorriso Diverso Venezia Award for Best Foreign Film.

The Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress was presented to Malou Khebizi for Cédric Kahn’s 15/18 (A Place to Heal). The film also received the Italian Red Cross Award and the Lanterna Magica Award, extending its presence beyond the official competition prizes.

Together, these acting and writing awards gave the main competition verdict a broad geographical range, with recognition for European, Asian, and international productions across directing, performance, and screenplay.

Orizzonti at the Venice Film Festival 2026: a double win for The Children of the Monkey

The Orizzonti jury was chaired by Valérie Donzelli, alongside Peter Becker, Elizabeth Lo, David Pablos, and Barbara Ronchi. After screening 19 feature films and 13 short films in competition, the jury selected Un détour par Diane (Diane in the Loop) by Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni as Best Film.

Jacqueline Lentzou received the Orizzonti Award for Best Director for Mia Mera sti Zoi tis Tzo: Kefalaio Faidra (A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra), while La maison du vent (House of the Wind) by Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu won the Special Jury Prize.

The latter also received the Lion of the Future “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film, making House of the Wind one of the notable multiple winners of the Venice Film Festival 2026.

Italy registered one of its strongest official results in Orizzonti with Tommaso Landucci’s I figli della scimmia (The Children of the Monkey). Riccardo Scamarcio won the award for Best Actor, while Landucci and Damiano Femfert received the prize for Best Screenplay.

Laleh Marzban was named Best Actress for Mohsen Gharaei’s Moragheb (Falling House), while the Best Short Film award went to Shaden Safieddine Tazi’s Quelques instants de bonheur (A Few Moments of Happiness).

Debut film, Venice Spotlight and Venice Classics

The Lion of the Future “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film was awarded to La maison du vent (House of the Wind) by Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu, selected by a jury chaired by Carolina Cavalli and also composed of Akinola Davies Jr and Ted Hope.

In Venice Spotlight, the Armani Beauty Audience Award went to Eu Contez (I Matter) by Alina Șerban, a Romanian, German and Belgian production.

Venice Classics recognised La lunga notte del ’43 (Long Night of 1943) by Florestano Vancini as Best Restored Film. The award was decided by a jury chaired by Daniele Vicari and composed of 24 cinema students selected through Italian university film programmes.

These sections expanded the scope of the Venice Film Festival 2026 awards beyond the main competition, acknowledging debut filmmaking, audience response and the preservation of film heritage.

Venice Immersive completes the Venice Film Festival 2026 awards

The Venice Immersive jury, chaired by Paul Raphaël and including Négar Motevalymeidanshah and Kate Voet, considered 30 projects in competition.

The Venice Immersive Grand Prize went to The Pigeon Ring by Shixin Tao and Yuqi Zhang.

The Special Jury Prize was awarded to Out of the Ashes by Rory Mitchell and Nonny De La Peña, while the Venice Immersive Achievement Prize went to Empire at Sea by Peter Flaherty.

The three prizes confirmed the section’s role within the wider festival programme, placing interactive and immersive storytelling alongside the feature films, shorts and restored works recognised across the official awards.

Collateral awards broaden the Venice Film Festival 2026 picture

The collateral prizes, awarded independently by critics’ associations, cultural organizations, cinema professionals and specialist juries, added another layer to the overall results.

Possible Love strengthened its position with both the FIPRESCI Prize for the Venezia 83 competition and the Arca CinemaGiovani Award for Best Film of the main competition.

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Look Back was one of the most frequently recognized titles outside the official jury. It received the CinemaSarà Award, the SIGNIS Award and the UNIMED Award, shared the Cinema & Arts Award for Best Film with Takashi Miike’s Shumei: The Living Legacy of Kabuki, and earned a special mention from Fanheart3.

Un bon petit soldat also accumulated several independent prizes, while 15/18 (A Place to Heal) received recognition connected to both social themes and younger audiences.

Italian cinema had a significant presence among the collateral awards. Marco Bechis’s Ritorno a Buenos Aires (Back to Buenos Aires) received the Francesco Pasinetti Award, while Vanessa Scalera was named Best Actress for Il fuoco che ti porti dentro (The Fire Within You) and Adriano Giannini Best Actor for Ritorno a Buenos Aires.

The Pasinetti Special Prize went to Alina Marazzi’s La ragazza con la Leica (The Girl with the Leica).

Giornate degli Autori and Venice Critics’ Week awards

The independent sections also delivered their own results during the Venice Film Festival 2026.

At Giornate degli Autori, the Director’s Award went to A veces me entra tristeza, otras veces rebelión (Sometimes Sadness, Sometimes Rebellion) by María Aparicio. Une femme aujourd’hui by Robért Guédiguian received the Europa Cinemas Label, while Nicola Sorcinelli’s Balcanica won the People’s Choice Award.

Balcanica also received the Carlo Lizzani Award, making it another film to appear across different independent juries.

At the Venice International Film Critics’ Week, Prima della guerra (Before the War) by Tommaso Usberti won the IWONDERFULL Grand Prize and the Luciano Sovena Award for Best Independent Producer.

The Critics’ Week People’s Choice Award went to Our Share of Sand by Shalini Adnani, while El fin de los tiempos (The End of Times) by Bibiana Rojas Gómez and Juan David Cárdenas received the Mario Serandrei Award for Best Technical Contribution.

Complete official Venice Film Festival 2026 winners list

Venezia 83

• Golden Lion for Best Film: Kvinde Ukendt (Woman Unknown), May el-Toukhy
• Silver Lion, Grand Jury Prize: Ga-neung-han Sa-rang (Possible Love), Lee Chang-dong
• Silver Lion for Best Director: Ilya Khrzhanovsky, Dau
• Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Mathilde Arcel, Woman Unknown
• Volpi Cup for Best Actor: John Malkovich, Wild Horse Nine
• Best Screenplay: Stéphane Brizé, Coralie Amédéo and Olivier Gorce, Un bon petit soldat
• Special Jury Prize: NAZA, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor
• Marcello Mastroianni Award: Malou Khebizi, 15/18 (A Place to Heal)

Orizzonti

• Best Film: Un détour par Diane (Diane in the Loop), Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni
• Best Director: Jacqueline Lentzou, A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra
• Special Jury Prize: La maison du vent (House of the Wind), Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu
• Best Actress: Laleh Marzban, Moragheb (Falling House)
• Best Actor: Riccardo Scamarcio, I figli della scimmia (The Children of the Monkey)
• Best Screenplay: Tommaso Landucci and Damiano Femfert, I figli della scimmia
• Best Short Film: Quelques instants de bonheur (A Few Moments of Happiness), Shaden Safieddine Tazi

Debut Film, Venice Spotlight and Venice Classics

• Lion of the Future “Luigi De Laurentiis”: La maison du vent (House of the Wind), Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu
• Armani Beauty Audience Award: Eu Contez (I Matter), Alina Șerban
• Venice Classics Award for Best Restored Film: La lunga notte del ’43 (Long Night of 1943), Florestano Vancini

Venice Immersive

• Grand Prize: The Pigeon Ring, Shixin Tao and Yuqi Zhang
• Special Jury Prize: Out of the Ashes, Rory Mitchell and Nonny De La Peña
• Achievement Prize: Empire at Sea, Peter Flaherty