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Minotaur

Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
France
2026
141 mins
Unclassified 15+
Winner, Grand Prix, Cannes. The much-anticipated new film by Russian master Andrey Zvyagintsev is a brave, taut and explosive thriller that brilliantly melds the personal and the political.

Russia 2022. Successful businessman Gleb (Dmitriy Mazurov) lives in a beautiful waterfront home with his wife Galina (Iris Lebedeva) and their young son. Though politically connected, Gleb is not immune from the radical changes in Russian society and finds himself under extreme pressure to quell panic and keep his company running. Galina meanwhile feels the constant pressure of having to be the perfect wife and mother. When he begins to suspect that Galina is having an affair, the usually considered Gleb makes a fateful decision that will threaten emotional and moral collapse. A Golden Lion winner at Venice for The Return (SFF 2004) and a frequent prize winner at Cannes, Zvyaginstev (Leviathan, Loveless, Elena) is the great cinematic chronicler of Russian society over the last two decades. Here, once again working with cinematographer Mikhail Krichman whose crisp imagery is as effective as ever, he offers a searing portrait of a family and a society in existential peril. At the height of his considerable powers, Zvyangintsev has characteristically made a film that's urgent, complex and provocative.

Wheelchair spaces are sold out for the Friday, June 12 session of Minotaur

SFF Official Competition winner
See the Jury statement
“Colossal. Staggering ... a nearly automatic Palme d'Or winner.”
David Ehrlich, IndieWire
“Andrey Zvyagintsev returns in impeccable form with a despairing, darkly funny reflection on corruption and betrayal in Putin’s Russia”
Guy Lodge, Variety
“Colossal. Staggering ... a nearly automatic Palme d'Or winner.”
David Ehrlich, IndieWire

Special Guests

Andrey Zvyagintsev
Director

Andrey Zvyagintsev is an acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated Russian auteur. His debut THE RETURN (SFF 2004) won the Golden Lion at Venice; LEVIATHAN (2014) won Best Screenplay at Cannes and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film; and LOVELESS (2017) won the Jury Prize at Cannes, as well as the prestigious César Award for Best Foreign Film, a first for a Russian director. 

 

Appearing at:
State Theatre - Fri 12 June 2026, 8pm
State Theatre - Sat 13 June 2026, 11:15am

Tickets

Fri 12 June 2026, 8pm
Past Event
State Theatre
State Theatre
1 Guest
Assisted ListeningWheelchair
Sat 13 June 2026, 11:15am
Past Event
State Theatre
State Theatre
1 Guest
Assisted ListeningWheelchair
Sun 14 June 2026, 12pm
Past Event
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace - Cinema 4
Hayden Orpheum - Cinema 4
Wheelchair
Sun 14 June 2026, 5:45pm
Past Event
Ritz Cinemas Randwick - Cinema 1
Ritz Randwick - Cinema 1
Assisted ListeningWheelchair
Wed 17 June 2026, 6pm
Past Event
Dendy Newtown - Cinema 1
Dendy Newtown - Cinema 1
Assisted ListeningWheelchair
Fri 19 June 2026, 6pm
Past Event
Palace Norton Street - Cinema 3
Palace Norton St - Cinema 3
Assisted ListeningWheelchair
See more, save more with a Flexipass or Youth Pass

Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking, or see our Access & Inclusion page for more information.

  • Program Strand
    Official Competition, Back by Popular Demand
  • Year
    2026
  • Classification
    Unclassified 15+
  • Country
    France, Germany, Latvia
  • Language
    In Russian with English subtitles
  • Director
    Andrey Zvyagintsev
  • Producer
    Nathanaël Karmitz, Charles Gillibert
  • Cast
    Dmitriy Mazurov, Iris Lebedeva
  • Cinematographer
    Mikhail Krichman
  • Genre
    Cannes Selected, Politics, War, Romance, Thriller & Crime
  • Premiere
    International Premiere
  • Company Credits
    Australian Distributor: Palace Films
Aboriginal FlagTorres Strait Flag

Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

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