International Features Competition

LE JOURNAL D'UNE FEMME DE CHAMBRE

The Diary of a Chambermaid
Swiss Premiere
Radu Jude
Romania, France
2026, 94'
Genre
Recommended Age
All ages
VO. French, Romanian
ST. French, English
With
Ana Dumitrașcu, Mélanie Thierry, Vincent Macaigne
Gianina, a housekeeper for a middle-class family, works hard so she can reunite with her daughter in Romania at the end of the year. A meanly ironic exploration of power dynamics.
Following in the footsteps of Jean Renoir and Luis Buñuel, it is now the turn of the irreverent Radu Jude to adapt Octave Mirbeau’s eponymous novel (1900), translating it into his own biting and absurd world. Between housekeeping for the Donnadieu, caring for their child, and participating in a stage adaptation of Mirbeau’s text, Gianina struggles to make ends meet during her stay in France. Her daughter eagerly awaits her return for Christmas, but the path to their reunion is fraught with unexpected twists and hypocrisy. Through the rhythm of its scathing dialogue delivered by a superb cast, the Romanian director scrutinizes the contradictions of the progressive European bourgeoisie, casting a acerbic and comical gaze upon them, true to his body of work that is as unsettling as it is exhilarating.

Damien Brodard
Direction
Radu Jude
Image
Marius Panduru
Editing
Catalin Cristutiu
Sound
Damien Luquet
Production
SBS, Avanpost
With
Ana Dumitrașcu, Marie Rivière, Mélanie Thierry, Vincent Macaigne
World sales
SBS Distribution (Saïd Ben Saïd)
Distribution
Potemkine Films
Radu Jude
1977, Romania
Previous works
2025, Dracula (Feature, Director)
2025, Kontinental ’25 (Feature, Director)
2023, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (Feature, Director)
2021, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (Feature, Director)
2020, Uppercase Print (Feature, Director)
2018, I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians (Feature, Director)
2016, Scarred Hearts (Feature, Director)
2015, Aferim! (Feature, Director)
2012, Everybody in Our Family (Feature, Director)
2009, The Happiest Girl in the World (Feature, Director)
Friday 30 Oct. 18:30
Cinérama Empire

Saturday 7 Nov. 16:15
Cinérama Empire