TSPDT

Key Production Country: Romania, France, Czech Republic, UK
Key Genres: Drama, Comedy, History, Comedy Drama, Documentary, Biography
Key Collaborators: Ada Solomon (Producer), Catalin Cristutiu (Editor), Marius Panduru (Cinematographer), Serban Pavlu (Leading Character Actor), Alexandru Dabija (Leading Character Actor), Ilinca Manolache (Character Actress), Gabriel Spahiu (Character Actor), Claudia Ieremia (Character Actress), Sofia Nicolaescu (Leading Character Actress), Cristian Niculescu (Production Designer), Augustina Stanciu (Production Designer), Ilinca Harnut (Character Actress)

"The works of the Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude are provocations that make us investigate the impetus of art and life. Though Jude isn’t sure his movies could be categorized as “essay films,” he has been labeled “Godardian” for crafting politically charged films in which he stirs scripted scenes with actors and other forms of media (newsreels, past movies, etc.) to expose the evils of society." - Edward Frumkin (Interview Magazine, 2024)

"Radu Jude is undeniably one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Romanian cinema. The creator of many thought-provoking films that subtly defy all audience expectations, Jude often explores the intricate relationships between past and present, fact and fiction, and historical memory using the dark chapters of his country’s history as a medium. After graduating in film directing from Media University in his native Bucharest, Jude served as assistant director for a number of films by Costa-Gavras as well as by his fellow compatriot, Cristi Puiu." - dafilms.com

"Although much of his work can be interpreted as satirical in nature, Jude regularly digs into the discrimination, antisemitism, and misogyny prevalent in Romanian society in years gone by, with the lingering after-effects caused by the 15-year dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu prior to his overthrow and execution in 1989 and the nation’s historical fascistic tendencies making for very serious subject matter, but always injected with a sense of humour and the occasional shocking scene to keep audiences on their toes." - Scott Campbell (Far Out Magazine, 2024)

"Widely recognized as one of the most influential filmmakers working today, Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude developed throughout the years a highly distinctive positioning within contemporary cinema. Blending sharp, unflinching criticism towards the darker side of his country’s past with mockery and irony, his body of work represents among the most politically acute as well as the most formally innovative ones in contemporary cinema… Formally innovative, Jude’s work is essential in deconstructing the eventful recent past of Romania, marked by the 1989 Revolution that freed its people from an authoritative regime. Throughout his films, Radu Jude never fails to confront this past and its reminiscence in today’s society, while delivering masterclasses of storytelling." - ICA, 2021

"Jude suggests that he does not have a method of filmmaking — that he is not capable of having one — yet, when you sit down with any of his work, it is possible to identify the man behind it through his various thematic obsessions and formal sensibilities. His clever way to adapt dense philosophical or theoretical material into audiovisual art, for one, but also his more general structures and ideas is certainly a signature, if not a method… Jude’s films are dense in theory, but that never obfuscates their cinematic ingenuity or charm. He is a playful filmmaker, and this shines through in his projects." - Per Morten Mjølkeråen (Seventh Row, 2022)

"For a significant part of it, Radu Jude's filmmaking career has coincided with the enduring Romanian New Wave that has seen a renewed international fascination with Romanian films. In many ways, his early films typify the movement, offering articulate snapshots of Romanian life. Liminal moments often seem minor, yet meaningful. A recurring motif in Radu Jude’s films is driving, but rarely going somewhere new. Journeys are often cyclical; characters are often intransigent. This cannot be said for Radu Jude himself." - Reece Goodwin (ACMI, 2024)

"There's this guy named Radu Jude… He’s something else. Especially Aferim!, which he shot in black and white, and another one that I’m sure isn’t to everyone’s taste, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World. That one is shocking—it takes political content, cinema, morality, immorality, throws it all on screen, then shatters it into a thousand pieces, and suddenly, you see the world differently." - Martin Scorsese, 2025

"When you read a history book you only ever retain a few traces or details. That’s how cinema works. All of a sudden, details jump out and become cinematic. An Instagram page can be cinematic. A reflection in a puddle. You need to force cinema in new directions, make it impure and mess it up in order to be able to see these small details. I just draw attention to what’s there. Maybe that means I’m not a serious filmmaker." - Radu Jude (The New York Times, 2024)