Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev, who has remained in France since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has won the Grand Prix at the 79th Cannes Film Festival for his film “Minotaur”. This is the second most important award of the prestigious forum.
“Minotaur” is a psychological drama and political baik with elements of a crime thriller, the events of which unfold in the Russian Federation against the background of the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the announcement of mobilisation in 2022. The film is the author’s reinterpretation of Claude Chabrol’s classic film “The Unfaithful Wife” (1969), but transferred to the realities of modern Russia.
At the award ceremony, Zvyagintsev made an anti-war speech, calling on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to stop the war.
The main award – the Palme d’Or – went to the film “Fjord” directed by Cristian Mungiu. The Jury Prize went to Valeska Grisebach for her film “Dream Adventure”.
The Best Director award was shared by Pavel Pawlikowski for “Faterland” and the director duo of Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi for “Black Balloon”.
There were 22 films in the festival’s main competition. The jury was headed by director Park Chan-wook from South Korea.