Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Venice Jury Didn’t Award ‘Woman Unknown’ the Golden Lion Just Because It Was Directed by a Woman: It ‘Was Like a Laser Beam’ - Variety

Maggie Gyllenhaal, serving as Venice jury president, awarded the Golden Lion to May el-Toukhy's "Woman Unknown," the only film in competition solely directed by a woman, at Saturday night's ceremony.
Gyllenhaal had opened her term by criticizing the scarcity of female filmmakers competing for the top prize, but she pushed back on suggestions the win was a "political statement."
Responding sarcastically to a journalist, she quipped that she hadn't even seen the film and picked it just because a woman made it, before clarifying her real position.
She noted that she dislikes many films made by women just as she dislikes some made by men, stressing she held only one vote among a jury whose decisions involved extensive discussion.
Gyllenhaal praised "Woman Unknown" as "like a laser beam," celebrating it as a well-made movie, while admitting she was tired of repeatedly addressing questions about gender.
The jury also unanimously gave the Volpi Cup for best actress to the film's star, Mathilde Arcel; other jurors included Kaouther Ben Hania, Johnnie To, Shahrbanoo Sadat, Xavier Giannoli, Daniel Blumberg and Francesco Casetti.