France has selected exiled Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s French-produced political thriller Minotaur as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, the selection committee announced on Wednesday.
Festival pedigree and creative team
Minotaur premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix, and has since screened at major international festivals including Telluride, Toronto, New York and the BFI London Film Festival. The film is the sixth feature from Zvyagintsev and marks his first feature since Loveless (2017), which won the Jury Prize at Cannes and went on to receive an Academy Award nomination.
The film stars Dmitriy Mazurov as a company director named Gleb and Iris Lebedeva as his wife. The project reunites Zvyagintsev with long-time collaborators: cinematographer Mikhail Krichman, sound designer Andrey Dergachev and production designer Andrey Ponkratov. Zvyagintsev co-wrote the screenplay with Semen Liashenko.
Subject matter and geopolitical context
Set in Russia in 2022, Minotaur examines how the invasion of Ukraine reshaped life in a provincial city — workers are drafted into military service and local businesses are asked to contribute financially to the war effort. According to the film’s synopsis published with festival materials, Mazurov’s character sees his seemingly secure life begin to unravel not directly because of the conflict, but through personal suspicion and marital strain.
The selection comes amid growing attention to cinema made by exiled or banned Russian filmmakers, and follows France’s choice last year of another non-French-language picture, It Was Just An Accident by Jafar Panahi, as its previous submission. The selection committee for Minotaur, kept anonymous until the announcement, was presided over by critic and former Cannes Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tess.
Production, distribution and release
Minotaur is produced by Paris-based CG Cinéma and mk2 Productions, with co-producers Latvia’s Forma Pro Films and Germany’s Razor Film. In France the film is distributed by Films du Losange, and it received support from ARTE France Cinéma. International sales are handled by mk2. Streaming and theatrical plans include a Mubi release in the United States on 20 November 2026.
| Festival | Note |
|---|---|
| Cannes | World premiere; won Grand Prix |
| Telluride | Screened |
| Toronto | Screened |
| New York | Screened |
| BFI London | Screened |
What this means for South Africa’s film ecosystem
The choice highlights two trends that resonate in South Africa. First, national selection committees are increasingly willing to nominate films produced outside their principal language or territory when those works carry strong artistic credentials and festival momentum. Second, Minotaur’s subject matter — the local social consequences of a national mobilisation and the war economy — underlines how filmmakers continue to use fiction to probe the human cost of political decisions.
- South African filmmakers aiming for international festivals may see renewed appetite for politically engaged dramas with strong auteur voices.
- Distributors and streaming platforms here often look to festival laureates for acquisition; Minotaur’s Cannes prize and North American release window make it a candidate for South African theatrical or streaming acquisition.
While the Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film race is unpredictable, the combination of festival acclaim, a respected auteur director and an international production footprint give Minotaur a credible platform as it advances toward the awards season.
France’s selection will now be submitted to the Academy as its official entry; the Academy’s shortlist and final nominations will be determined later in the awards calendar.
