‘Woman Unknown’ Director May el-Toukhy Talks the Torment of World War II ‘Horizontal Collaborators’ and Venice’s Female Director Snub: ‘It’s a Structural Problem’

By Marta Balaga

Marta Balaga

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In “Woman Unknown,” May el-Toukhy takes a closer look at women accused of having relationships with German soldiers during World War II.

“When we started to build a story about a ‘horizontal collaborator,’ we realized that, during and after the war, the female body became part of national identity. But in Denmark, it wasn’t really explored.” 

Initially, she wanted to make a film about the witch hunts after the Reformation in the 1500s. 

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