One of the World’s Most Decorated Directors Nearly Died From Long Covid. Now He’s Got a New Film at Cannes: “A Complete and Utter Miracle”
Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev, known for his powerful depictions of contemporary Russian society, nearly died from severe long Covid and spent 18 months recovering, including a year unable to move. After his recovery, he returned to filmmaking with Minotaur, a new adaptation inspired by both a classic French thriller and the current state of his country. The film marks his first feature in nine years and premieres at the Cannes Film Festival.
- ▪Andrey Zvyagintsev gained international acclaim with films like Leviathan and Loveless, all of which received recognition at Cannes.
- ▪He suffered severe long Covid that left him bedridden for a year and in a 40-day induced coma, calling his recovery a 'miracle.'
- ▪His new film Minotaur is an adaptation of The Unfaithful Wife, reimagined in the context of Russia's war with Ukraine.
- ▪Zvyagintsev returned to filmmaking after recovering in Paris, where he gradually regained mobility and resumed work.
- ▪Minotaur premiered at Cannes, marking his first feature since Loveless in 2017.
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Andrey Zvyagintsev. Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment In the 2010s, Andrey Zvyagintsev asserted himself as one of his generation’s greatest filmmakers. The Russian native had already found wide acclaim for his 2003 debut The Return, but with the trifecta of 2011’s Elena, 2014’s Leviathan and 2017’s Loveless — all of which won prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, and the latter two of which were nominated for the best-international-feature Oscar — his singular ability to tell intimate stories on an epic scale came into full view.
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