France Selects Zvyagintsev's 'Minotaur' for Oscar Race

France has selected exiled Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev's French-produced political thriller Minotaur as its official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The film was chosen from a shortlist of five other contenders.

According to Deadline, the selection committee, which was kept secret until the announcement, was presided over by critic and former Cannes Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson. He was joined by a panel of sales agents, producers, director Coralie Fargeat, and programmer Adeline Monzier.

The Selected Film and Its Director

Minotaur is Zvyagintsev's first film since 2017's Loveless, which won the Cannes Jury Prize and was nominated for an Oscar. This marks the director's sixth feature film. He co-wrote the screenplay with Semen Liashenko and continues his collaborations with cinematographer Mikhail Krichman, sound designer Andrey Dergachev, and production designer Andrey Ponkratov.

The film is a French production from CG Cinéma and mk2 Productions, with co-producers in Latvia and Germany. It is distributed in France by Films du Losange, received support from ARTE France Cinéma, and has its international sales handled by mk2. Mubi will release the film in U.S. theaters on November 20, 2026.

Festival Success and Plot

The film world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. It has since been selected for major festivals including Telluride, Toronto, New York, and the BFI London Film Festival.

The plot taps into the mood in Russia in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. It follows businessmen in a provincial city grappling with the war's implications as workers are drafted and they are asked for financial contributions. Dmitriy Mazurov plays a successful company director, Gleb, whose life unravels not from the conflict but from suspicions his wife, played by Iris Lebedeva, is having an affair.

The Shortlist and Submission Trend

France's submission was chosen from a shortlist of five other films. This is the second consecutive year France has selected a non-French language film for the Oscar category, following last year's choice of Jafar Panahi's It Was Just An Accident.

The other shortlisted films were:

Zvyagintsev's film will now compete for a nomination ahead of the 99th Oscars ceremony.