Andrey Zvyagintsev has not made a film in nine years. He is 62, has lived in France since the pandemic, and when Minotaur screened at Cannes in May 2026, Russian television did not report the outcome. The outcome was the Grand Prix.
The film is set in provincial Russia in early 2022, days into the invasion of Ukraine. It follows Gleb, a wealthy businessman, as his marriage and moral code collapse under suspicion of infidelity. Film critic Anton Dolin, writing for Meduza, called it the first narrative film about Russia during the war. Zvyagintsev has described the story as a loose remake of Claude Chabrol's The Unfaithful Wife, with longtime cinematographer Mikhail Krichman and composers the Galperine brothers returning. The film stars Dmitriy Mazurov and Iris Lebedeva.
At the Cannes ceremony, Zvyagintsev addressed Putin directly from the stage. "Millions of people on both sides of the front line dream of only one thing: for the massacres to stop," he said, according to Al Jazeera. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to pass the message along, stating that Zvyagintsev "has no right to speak." In September, Russia's Ministry of Justice designated him a foreign agent, citing his residency abroad and interactions with foreign agents. His French producers, CG Cinema and MK2 Films, have kept the film moving internationally regardless.
France chose Minotaur as its submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards in September 2026. The film has also received Gotham Award nominations. MUBI opens it in select North American theaters on November 20.
