Andrey Zvyagintsev’s political thriller Minotaur premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. The film has also been selected for Telluride, Toronto, the New York Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival, and received Gotham Award nominations for Best International Feature, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Set in a provincial Russian city in 2022, the film depicts businessmen facing the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as workers are drafted into the army and companies are asked to contribute to the war effort. Dmitriy Mazurov plays Gleb, a successful company director whose life starts to come apart when he suspects his wife, played by Iris Lebedeva, is having an affair.
Minotaur is Zvyagintsev’s first feature since Loveless, which won the Cannes Jury Prize and was later nominated for an Oscar. The director co-wrote the new film with Semen Liashenko. It is his sixth feature and reunites him with cinematographer Mikhail Krichman, sound designer Andrey Dergachev and production designer Andrey Ponkratov.
The film was produced by Paris-based CG Cinéma and mk2 Productions, Latvia’s Forma Pro Films and Germany’s Razor Film, with support from ARTE France Cinéma. Films du Losange distributes it in France, while mk2 handles international sales.
Mubi will release Minotaur in U.S. theaters on November 20, 2026. France has selected it as its submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.
Sources: Deadline.