France picks exiled Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s ‘Minotaur’ as its international Oscar entry. The Russian-language film previously won Cannes’ Grand Prix.
France has submitted Andrey Zvyagintsev’s film “Minotavr” (“Minotaur”) for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, Variety reports.
The French Oscar committee chose the film after meeting with the producers, international sales agents, and U.S. distributors of the five shortlisted films.
“Minotaur” was co-produced by Charles Gillibert’s French companies, CG Cinéma and MK Productions. It follows the director of a company as he prepares for mass layoffs when he is ordered to send 14 people to war. Meanwhile, he learns that his wife is having an affair.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce a 15-film shortlist for Best International Feature Film on December 15. The nominees will be announced on January 21, and the 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.
Last year, France submitted Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s “A Simple Accident,” which had won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and later received a nomination.
“Minotaur” is Zvyagintsev’s first film in nearly 10 years. His previous film, “Nelyubov” (“Loveless”), was released in 2017. Zvyagintsev became seriously ill with COVID-19 during the pandemic and underwent a lengthy rehabilitation abroad. He did not return to Russia after the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In May 2026, “Minotaur” won the Grand Prix at the 79th Cannes Film Festival.
Further reading
At Cannes, director Andrey Zvyagintsev urges Putin to ‘put an end to this carnage.’ The Kremlin says he has ‘no right to speak.’
Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev’s first feature in nearly a decade, ‘Minotaur,’ premieres at Cannes
Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev’s new film selected for Cannes main competition, Variety reports
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.