Andreï Zvyagintsev's Minotaur runner-up

Andreï Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur” won the Grand Prix, the Cannes Film Festival’s runner-up award, at the 79th edition’s closing on May 24, according to the festival and trade coverage. The result put the Russian director just behind Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner “Fjord” in the main competition. Cannes’ official site lists “Minotaur” as an In Competition feature and now identifies it as the 2026 Grand Prize winner. The Hollywood Reporter and Variety both reported the result on Sunday. ### Which prize did “Minotaur” actually win at Cannes? The Festival de Cannes identified “Minotaur” as the winner of the Grand Prix, the event’s second-highest honor after the Palme d’Or. Cannes also published a May 24 press conference entry titled “Grand Prize – MINOTAUR by Andreï ZVIAGUINTSEV,” confirming the award after the closing ceremony. Variety described the Grand Prix as “the fest’s second most prestigious award” in its winners report. That matches the festival’s own presentation of the prize as the runner-up honor in the main competition. ### What kind of film is “Minotaur”? Cannes described “Minotaur” as the story of Gleb, “a successful company director” whose life begins to collapse under corporate pressure and an unstable world. The festival synopsis says that collapse “accelerates toward violence.” The Hollywood Reporter called the film a domestic thriller set in contemporary Russia. Variety, in separate coverage ahead of the awards, described it as a modern-day parable centered on the emotional and moral collapse of a Russian businessman amid professional crises, global disorder and an affair. ### How does the festival frame the story’s setting? The Festival de Cannes said in a feature on the film that “Minotaur” is set in 2022, against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The festival wrote that Zvyagintsev, whom it described as a Russian filmmaker opposed to the war, addresses the conflict as background rather than as a front-line story. Variety reported that the film was shot entirely in Latvia “by political necessity.” That account also said the story reworks elements of Claude Chabrol’s “The Unfaithful Wife” and places them in Russia near the shadow of the war in Ukraine. ### Why was this Cannes result notable for Zvyagintsev? Variety said Zvyagintsev returned to Cannes competition with “Minotaur” nearly a decade after “Loveless,” which won the Jury Prize at the festival. The Russian director is also known internationally for “Leviathan” and “Loveless,” both Oscar-nominated films. Cannes noted that Zvyagintsev had previously served on the festival jury in 2018 under Cate Blanchett and had now returned to the competition lineup with a new feature. The award gives “Minotaur” one of the top official distinctions of this year’s festival rather than a side-section prize. ### Who was involved in the film’s Cannes presentation? Festival materials for the film’s May 20 press conference listed Andreï Zviaguintsev alongside Nathanaël Karmitz, Dmitriy Mazurov, Iris Lebedeva, Simon Lyashenko and Charles Gillibert. Those names indicate the producing and financing team that accompanied the film to Cannes. Variety’s awards report said “Minotaur” was backed by Mubi. The outlet added that, despite missing the Palme d’Or, the film’s prospects remained strong after the Cannes response. ### What comes next after the award? The Festival de Cannes has already posted the May 24 Grand Prize press conference for “Minotaur,” while its official film page now carries the Grand Prix designation. Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord” took the Palme d’Or at the same closing ceremony, leaving “Minotaur” as one of the festival’s two most decorated competition titles of May 24.