#ПРОчтение presents:

27 October - 1 November | Cineplex Loteanu, main auditorium

Six films. Six stories. One director.

From 27 October to 1 November, Chișinău will host its first Andrey Zvyagintsev Film Retrospective – six evenings of outstanding cinema tracing the director’s journey from his debut, «The Return», to his latest film, «Minotaur».

Six films – among Zvyagintsev’s most important works, acclaimed at the world’s leading film festivals – will be shown on the big screen at Cineplex Loteanu from 27 October to 1 November.

The retrospective will conclude with the Moldovan premiere of «Minotaur», winner of the Grand Prix at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

This screening will be special: Andrey Zvyagintsev will personally present «Minotaur» in Chișinău, and the film will be followed by a meeting with the audience and a Q&A session, giving you the chance to address the director directly.

27 OCTOBER, 18:40

«THE RETURN»

Running time: 1 h 45 min

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s feature debut and the film that brought him international recognition.

After twelve years away, a father unexpectedly returns to the lives of his two sons. A trip together, intended to bring them closer, gradually becomes an ordeal that changes each of them forever.

«The Return» won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and became one of the most remarkable debuts in European cinema in the early 21st century.

28 OCTOBER, 18:40

«THE BANISHMENT»

Running time: 2 h 37 min

A husband and wife arrive at an old country house with their two children. Here, a single sentence sets a family drama in motion, as love confronts distrust, jealousy and the inability to listen to one another.

Zvyagintsev’s second feature was selected for the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where Konstantin Lavronenko won the Best Actor award.

29 OCTOBER, 18:40

«ELENA»

Running time: 1 h 49 min

Elena and Vladimir belong to different worlds. He is a wealthy man accustomed to relying only on himself. She supports her adult son’s family and hopes her husband will not leave her loved ones without help.

A decision by Vladimir forces Elena to make a choice after which her former life is no longer possible.

An intimate family story gradually becomes a reflection on social inequality, money, love and the limits of human responsibility.

30 OCTOBER, 18:40

«LEVIATHAN»

Running time: 2 h 20 min

On the shores of a northern sea, Nikolai lives with his family in a house that the local authorities are trying to take from him. His attempt to defend his property becomes a confrontation between an individual and a system before which familiar notions of law and justice lose their power.

One of Zvyagintsev’s best-known films won the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

31 OCTOBER, 18:40

«LOVELESS»

Running time: 2 h 07 min

Zhenya and Boris are going through a bitter divorce. Each is already starting a new life, while their twelve-year-old son, Alyosha, seems caught between two people who have become strangers to each other.

After another argument between his parents, the boy disappears.

«Loveless» is a story not only about a family falling apart, but also about loneliness, indifference and how easily we can overlook someone right beside us.

The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was the director’s last feature before a break lasting several years.

1 NOVEMBER, 16:40

«MINOTAUR»

MOLDOVAN PREMIERE

Running time: 2 h 20 min

GRAND PRIX AT THE 2026 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s new feature film and his return to cinema after a nine-year hiatus.

«Minotaur» tells the story of a man whose familiar, carefully constructed world begins to fall apart. A personal crisis, the pressure of circumstances and events around him gradually drive him into a space from which it becomes increasingly difficult to find a way out.

The film was presented in the main competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and received the festival’s Grand Prix.

But for audiences in Chișinău, this evening will be more than just a premiere.

Andrey Zvyagintsev will personally present his film in Chișinău.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director – a live conversation with the audience about «Minotaur», his previous films, cinema and the making of his new film.

ANDREY ZVYAGINTSEV FILM RETROSPECTIVE

Cineplex Loteanu, main auditorium

27–31 October – screenings start at 18:40

1 November – «Minotaur», starts at 16:40

27.10 – «The Return»

28.10 – «The Banishment»

29.10 – «Elena»

30.10 – «Leviathan»

31.10 – «Loveless»

01.11 – «Minotaur» + meeting and Q&A with Andrey Zvyagintsev

Six films. Six stories. One director.

Six days to see them again – or for the first time – on the big screen.

* - All films will be screened in Russian with Romanian subtitles.

Event partners:

ZENTRUM Hotel - at the very centre of your comfort.

LIBRARIUS bookshop chain - books for every taste!

DOMINO furniture store chain – stylish Italian furniture at affordable prices.

Cinema “Cineplex Loteanu”, auditorium No. 3 (Chișinău, 103 Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard)

From 27 to 31 October, screenings start at 18-40

Programme for 1 November:

16:00 – doors open, CARLEVANA wine tasting

16:40 –screening of “Minotaur”

19:00 – meeting with the director and a conversation with the audience about cinema