The Diary of a Chambermaid / Opening Gala

Golden Bear and two-time Silver Bear winner Radu Jude (Aferim!, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn) returns with a film that is unmistakably his own in its originality, yet perhaps the most conventionally structured work of his career to date. Gianina (Ana Dumitrașcu), a young Romanian woman, works as a housekeeper for a wealthy family in Bordeaux. In the evenings, she rehearses with an amateur theatre troupe, playing the role of a chambermaid, while during the day she cares for her employer’s young son and tries to stay connected with her daughter back in Romania through video calls. The physical distance gradually grows into an emotional one between mother and child, but as Christmas approaches, the hope of a reunion begins to take shape. The latest work by one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Eastern European cinema is a sharp critique of class inequality, a humorous commentary on current politics, and a deeply honest portrait of motherhood.

2026 Cannes Film Festival – Directors' Fortnight

Radu Jude is a Romanian film director and screenwriter. His films, including The Happiest Girl in the World (2009), Aferim! (2015), and I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians (2018), have received numerous international awards. In 2021, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. His 2023 feature Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World received the Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Film Festival and was Romania's submission for the Academy Awards. In 2025, Kontinental '25, which was also screened at last year's BIFF, won the Best Screenplay Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The Happiest Girl in the World (2009)
Aferim! (2015)
I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians (2018)
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021)
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023)
Dracula (2025)
Kontinental '25 (2025)

Original title: The Diary of a Chambermaid
Director: Radu Jude
Cast: Ana Dumitrașcu, Marie Rivière, Louen Bouteiller, Arnaud Baudoin, Ilinca Manolache
Cinematographer: Marius Panduru
Cast: Radu Jude
Producers: Saïd Ben Saïd, Vlad Radulescu, Carmen Rizac, Kevin Chneiweiss
Editor: Catalin Cristutiu
Sound: Damien Luquet
Hungarian distributor: Cirko Film
Colour
94 minutes