Andreï Zvyagintsev, this representative of France at the Oscars who irritates the Kremlin: “I hope that my film will reach indoctrinated Russian spectators”

Andrei Zvyagintsev does not resemble his existence. His literary criticism glasses and immaculate sneakers give a wise look to the man who, in recent months, won the Cannes jury grand prize (the equivalent of a silver medal), publicly challenged Vladimir Putin on the Croisette (“Put an end to this carnage, the whole world is waiting for it”) and was designated a foreign agent by Russia, his country of origin, in September.

At the same time, France chose it to represent it at the Oscars, scheduled for March 2027, in the international film category. An honor, he confides. Fine, cerebral and pessimistic, the sixty-year-old Andreï Zvyagintsev, on the other hand, resembles his chiaroscuro work, which points out in Minotaure the warlike drift of the Kremlin, but also the tensions of life as a couple after marriage. Launched in the film's promotional campaign with a view to the Oscars, the 62-year-old filmmaker endures a marathon of interviews with the press.