Coffee with the Cast of MINOTAUR: Zvyagintsev Builds His Cinematic Expression Through Trust

Following last night’s screening of Minotaur at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema, the cast of Andrey Zvyagintsev’s latest film continued its encounter with audiences at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival. As part of the Grand Coffee with... programme, actors Iris Lebedeva and Dmitriy Mazurov spoke about working with one of Europe’s most acclaimed filmmakers, and the conversation was moderated by Bosnian filmmaker Zulfikar Filandra.  

MINOTAUR marks the long-awaited return to filmmaking by the author of “Loveless” and “Leviathan”, and after the world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Grand Prix, it was shown for the audience in Sarajevo. The film is set in Russia in 2022, the story centres on Galeb, a successful company executive whose carefully controlled life begins to unravel under mounting professional pressure and an increasingly uncertain social environment. The intimate story gradually expands into a wider exploration of power, violence, fear and a society in crisis.  

 

For Dmitriy Mazurov, however, the most valuable part of the experience was not the Cannes premiere, but the opportunity to work with Zvyagintsev.  

 

“I come from the tradition of the Russian Stanislavski school, which is why this work was particularly important to me. Cannes was never the goal, and what mattered most was the opportunity to work with him. I have truly never had an experience quite like working with Andrey. He didn’t even know who I was when he first watched my self-tape, so I am especially glad that he chose me,” he said.  

 

Mazurov said the rehearsals reminded him of theatre, giving the actors room to explore their characters and develop their own interpretations.  

 

“We were given direction, but we were also given the freedom to explore motives and intentions of our characters. Andrey is like the conductor of an orchestra: he places us in a scene and then orchestrates it. Everything must work together,” he said.  

 

For Iris Lebedeva, this was her first collaboration with Zvyagintsev, she stressed that the director does not choose actors based on their popularity, but on what they can bring to a character.  

 

“Andrey doesn’t look for famous actors simply because they are famous. He looks for the right person for the role, even if that person is not a professional actor. My character is a very fragile person who struggles to withstand the circumstances around her. Andrey told me that he felt my delicate energy could bring that fragility to the screen,” Lebedeva said.  

 

The film was shot over 44 days, with many scenes requiring numerous takes to synchronise the performances, camera work, extras, and other technical elements of the frame. Both actors also highlighted the atmosphere during the filmmaking process. They described a working environment in which the director draws everyone into a shared creative rhythm, where everyone becomes s part of a larger process.  

 

Their stories revealed that Zvyagintsev’s cinematic world is built on trust, precision and the freedom to discover something truthful within a character. MINOTAUR brought the Sarajevo audience not only the return of the great author, but also an insight into his recognizable exploration of man and society.