Anton Dolin Cannes analysis, Zvyagintsev return video

Anton Dolin appeared in a Russian-language YouTube video about the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, in a discussion framed around festival favorites, “bad French cinema” and what the upload called Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “legendary return.” The video was posted on the Sheinkin40 channel and described as an excerpt from a live broadcast featuring Dolin, Mikhail Shats, Oksana Stanevich, Boris Grozovsky and Garik Korogodsky in Tel Aviv. (youtube.com) The upload arrives during the 79th Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 12 to May 23. Cannes’ official 2026 selection lists Zvyagintsev’s new film “Minotaur” in Competition, placing the Russian director back in the festival’s top tier after a long absence from feature filmmaking. (youtube.com) ### What exactly was posted on May 20? The YouTube video published on May 20 carries the Russian title “Канны 2026: Антон Долин о фаворитах, плохом французском кино и легендарнои возвращении Звягинцева.” YouTube’s page showed the clip had drawn thousands of views within hours of posting and identified it as a fragment of a live program. (youtube.com) The wording of the headline is itself the clearest verified description of the segment’s focus. Because no transcript was available in the materials reviewed, the verifiable points are the title, the date, the named participants and the channel’s description of the video as part of a live broadcast. (festival-cannes.com) ### Why is Zvyagintsev’s return part of the discussion? Festival de Cannes included “Minotaur” by Andrey Zvyagintsev in its 2026 Competition lineup, according to the official selection announcement published on April 9 and updated on April 23. The Cannes list places the film alongside new works by Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi, Hirokazu Kore-eda and others in the main competition. (youtube.com) Yahoo, citing comments from Zvyagintsev, reported on May 20 that the director described being back at Cannes with “Minotaur” as one of the best things to happen to him in nearly a decade. (youtube.com) Meduza separately reported that “Minotaur” is Zvyagintsev’s first feature in nearly a decade and that it premiered at the festival on May 19. ### What is known about “Minotaur” itself? The Cannes selection page identifies “Minotaur” as a Competition title but gives only limited detail in the lineup notice. Trade coverage has filled in some of the basics: The Hollywood Reporter described the film as a crime thriller and political fable, and Screen Daily included it among the most watched Competition entries in its lineup guide. (festival-cannes.com) Zvyagintsev has been closely associated with Cannes before. His earlier films “Leviathan” and “Loveless” helped establish him as a major festival director, which is why the new film’s arrival has been treated in coverage and in the Dolin video headline as a notable comeback. (yahoo.com) That characterization is supported by the gap in feature releases cited in current reporting. ### What can be said about Dolin’s role here? Anton Dolin is identified in the video title as the central commentator on Cannes 2026, and he has published other recent Cannes-focused video analysis naming Zvyagintsev among the directors drawing his attention this year. (festival-cannes.com) A separate YouTube appearance last week was billed as Dolin discussing which festival films interested him and why. The May 20 upload does not, on the available evidence, amount to a new festival announcement. It is a commentary video pegged to an active Cannes storyline: the Competition race, criticism of French cinema in the host country, and Zvyagintsev’s return with “Minotaur.” (yahoo.com) ### Where does this go next during Cannes? May 23 is the scheduled end date of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, according to the festival calendar referenced in Dolin’s earlier Cannes video and the official selection materials. The May 20 YouTube upload remains the public record of this discussion, while “Minotaur” stays in the Competition field as Cannes moves toward its closing awards decisions. (youtube.com 1) (youtube.com 2)