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Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur Electrifies Cannes With Stark Portrait of Russian Corruption

The film’s Tuesday premiere drew prolonged standing ovations and a major international deal, signaling awards momentum despite likely official ban in Russia.

Overview

  • Minotaur premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday and received sustained standing ovations that made it an early Palme d’Or contender.
  • Mubi has acquired distribution rights for multiple territories, giving the film wide international exposure and industry momentum ahead of festival awards.
  • Shot in Riga, the film is Andrey Zvyagintsev’s first feature made entirely outside Russia and reworks Claude Chabrol’s La Femme infidèle into a 2022 Russian setting.
  • The story follows Gleb, a shipping-company CEO pressured to supply names for mobilisation while he investigates his wife’s alleged affair, with Dmitriy Mazurov and Iris Lebedeva in the lead roles.
  • Zvyagintsev, who recovered from a near-fatal COVID bout and now lives in France, said Minotaur will almost certainly not receive an official Russian release but added that piracy and VPNs will likely circulate the film inside Russia.