Berlinale 2025: Romanian director Radu Jude wins second Silver Bear with Kontinental '25
<p class="MsoNormal">Romanian director <strong>Radu Jude</strong> has won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Kontinental '25 </i>at this year's Berlin International Film Festival/ Berlinale.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">&nbsp;</i></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Kontinental '25</i> is Jude’s third film awarded in Berlinale’s main competition, after <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Aferim!, </i>which earned him the Silver Bear for Best Director in 2015, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Babardeală cu bucluc sau porno balamuc/ Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn</i>, for which he took home the Golden Bear in 2021.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">The film, a mix of drama and comedy, follows bailiff Orsolya as she makes various attempts to address her feelings of guilt following the suicide of a homeless man she evicted from his shelter. <o:p></o:p></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">Shot on an iPhone and minimal equipment, it has been described as partly an homage to Roberto&nbsp;Rossellini’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:
normal">Europa ’51</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">The cast includes Eszter Tompa, Gabriel Spahiu, Adonis Tanța, Șerban Pavlu, Oana Mardare, Annamária Biluska, Adrian Sitaru, Marius Damian, Nicodim Ungureanu, Ilinca Manolache, and Dan Ursu.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">The film is produced by Saga Film in co-production with RT Features (Brazil), Bord Cadre Films (Switzerland), Sovereign Films (UK), and Paul Thiltges Distributions (Luxembourg).<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">It is expected to open in local cinemas this spring.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>The full list of awards granted at this year's Berlinale is available <a href="https://www.berlinale.de/en/festival/awards-and-juries/international-jury.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</o:p></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">Jude won the CICAE Art Cinema award at the 2009 Berlinale for his debut feature film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Cea mai fericită fată din lume/ The Happiest Girl</i> in the World. His 2012 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">feature Toată lumea din familia noastră/ Everybody in Our Family </i>premiered in Berlinale’s Forum section.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">His 2016 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Inimi cicatrizate/ Scarred Hearts</i> received two awards at the Locarno International Film Festival and brought him the best director award at the Mar del Plata Film Festival. Jude's 2018 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra ca barbari/ I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians </i>received the Crystal Globe Award at the 53rd edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - the first Romanian feature to receive the distinction of the Czech film event.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><em>(Photo: Kontinental 25 Facebook Page)</em></o:p></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><em>simona@romania-insider.com</em></p>