Andrey Zvyagintsev (born 1964 in Novosibirsk) is one of the most internationally acclaimed Russian directors and screenwriters, having emerged as a key auteur in 21st-century cinema. He achieved immediate global recognition with his debut film, The Return (2003), which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. His style is distinguished by rigorous direction, almost painterly visual compositions, and a deliberate, hypnotic pace, which has earned him comparisons to masters such as Andrei Tarkovsky. His subsequent films, including Elena (2011, Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes), Leviathan (2014, Best Screenplay at Cannes and Golden Globe winner), and Loveless (2017, Jury Prize at Cannes), are powerful and stark moral allegories. Through intimate family dramas, Zvyagintsev explores universal themes such as spiritual disconnection, the corruption of power, and the moral crisis in contemporary Russia.