Unifrance congratulates director Andreï Zviaguintsev and the French producers Charles Gillibert (CG Cinéma), and Nathanaël Karmitz (MK Productions), whose film Minotaur was selected to represent France in the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Oscars, following the decision of the selection committee convened by the CNC on September16.
Presented in Competition as a world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Minotaur, inspired by The Unfaithful Wife by Claude Chabrol, draws parallels between the collapse of a man, his relationship, and a society ravaged by war and violence. This sixth feature film by Andreï Zviaguintsev, a Russian filmmaker in exile, was primarily produced by the French companies CG Cinéma and MK Productions. This co-production once again highlights France’s central role in major global co-productions and its support for the most socially engaged filmmakers of our time, as was already the case last year with It Was Just an Accident by Iranian director Jafar Panahi, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes and France’s entry for the 2026 Oscars.
Winner of the Grand Prix at the latest edition of the Cannes Film Festival and acclaimed by the international press, Minotaur has enjoyed an exemplary festival run, notably winning the Sydney Film Festival Award, the top prize at the Sydney Film Festival, in June and racking up nearly fifteen selections at the major international festivals of the summer and fall (Telluride, Toronto, New York, etc.) Minotaur will begin its global release in France on October 14. Sold by MK2 International to more than 60 countries worldwide to date, it will be distributed in the United States by MUBI.
The other finalist films were Iron Boy, by Louis Clichy, De Gaulle: Résistance, by Antonin Baudry, La Gradiva, by Marine Atlan, and The Unknown, by Arthur Harari.
In the coming weeks and months, Unifrance will stand firmly alongside Minotaur to support it in the prestigious race for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. The organization will also support all other French films vying for nominations in the other categories of the Oscars.
The shortlist of films in the running for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film will be announced on December 15, and the list of the five finalists will be announced on January 21, 2027.
The 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.
