Russian dissident Zvyagintsev’s "Minotaur" fuels debate over France’s Oscar submission

France’s potential candidate for its submission for the 2027 Academy Awards, often referred to simply as the "Oscars", has sparked debate over whether movies by foreign-born dissident filmmakers should be chosen to represent the country. The conversation focuses particularly on a film by exiled Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev, which has been highly praised at France's most prestigious film festival.

Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur” has emerged as one of the leading contenders for France’s submission, having already won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the second-highest award presented by the jury. Although France has frequently selected films associated with Cannes, the choice is less straightforward this year, with support for the Russian director’s film prompting opposition from parts of the French film industry, as highlighted in an article by the entertainment magazine Variety.

The issue is particularly relevant this year, as several other films are also competing to become France’s entry for the Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. The contenders include films by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, whose “Fjord” won this year’s top prize at Cannes, the Palme d'Or.

Both films were either produced in France or received substantial French financing. Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s French-language film “All of a Sudden” was another contender, although it was also eligible to represent Japan. Tokyo’s selection committee met before its French counterpart and has already chosen the film as Japan’s entry.

Zvyagintsev currently lives in France under asylum status, while “Minotaur” was largely financed and produced in France by Charles Gillibert’s CG Cinema and MK2 Films, which is handling international sales.

It would not be the first time that a film by a foreign-born filmmaker would make it to France's pick. One recent example is dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose “It Was Just an Accident” won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2025 and subsequently received an Oscar nomination. However, that choice also prompted debate within parts of the French film industry over whether France should be represented by a foreign-born filmmaker whose work is produced largely outside the French language.

An amendment to the Academy’s rules adopted in 2025 allows filmmakers granted asylum or refugee status to be considered members of their adopted country’s filmmaking community. The change has cleared the way for France to submit Zvyagintsev’s work, after his previous films “Loveless” and “Leviathan” were nominated for Oscars as Russian entries.

Russia, meanwhile, is highly unlikely to submit “Minotaur”, seeing as the film follows the life of a business executive against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and explores themes including corruption. Zvyagintsev has also spoken publicly about the war, using his acceptance speech at Cannes to call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict.

The French selection committee is expected to meet on September 10 to shortlist up to five films. It will reconvene the following week to hear from filmmakers and/or distributors before selecting France’s official submission for the 2027 Academy Awards.

By Nazrin Sadigova