Romania’s Radu Jude has scored a notable international accolade: his 2025 film Kontinental ’25 has been named among the “19 Best Films of 2026 We’ve Already Seen” by IndieWire’s year‑ahead list of must‑see movies (complete list).
The list by IndieWire, one of the most influential film and entertainment news outlets in the U.S., highlights standout films that critics have already screened and that are expected to define the cinematic landscape of 2026. Kontinental ’25, the Romanian absurdist comedy-drama about a bailiff confronting the moral fallout of an urgent eviction, joins the ranks of other highly anticipated titles on the list, such as: Blue Heron – a Canadian-Hungarian drama exploring family and identity, The Christophers – a forthcoming title distributed by Neon, which has generated early buzz or Dead Man’s Wire – another anticipated entry rounding out the list of 19 films that critics are already talking about, among others.
Kontinental ’25 was widely praised on the festival circuit and beyond for its sharp satire and probing social commentary.
“Its moral dimensions are more straightforward than those in Jude’s previous work (and its form much simpler in kind), but only because their practical applications are that much knottier in return. Where “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn” and “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World” scaled their characters’ personal depravities against sprawling backdrops of systemic abuse, the far more intimate — and less uproarious — “Kontinental ’25” filters the perversity of neoliberalism through the eyes of a well-meaning woman’s attempt to do the right thing. Alas, a bold act of kindness can be a terrible cross to bear in a culture that’s sustained by ambient cruelties,” notes IndieWire.
Last year, IndieWire included two Romanian films, Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and Cristi Puiu’s The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, in a landmark ranking of the best feature films made during the 2000s.
Berlinale 2025: Radu Jude wins Silver Bear for Best Screenplay
Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude took home the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for his film Kontinental ’25 at the 75th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival, while Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud’s production Dreams (Sex Love) (Drommer) won the Golden Bear for Best Film.
Shot in just ten days using a smartphone, the film was inspired by an article about a judicial officer grappling with guilt after evicting a homeless man from a basement. Shortly after learning of his impending eviction, the man takes his own life, triggering a moral crisis for the protagonist.
Jude dedicated the award to Spanish director Luis Buñuel, a key figure of the surrealist movement, whose 125th birth anniversary was marked on the same day. On stage, the Romanian director joked, “I am a weak screenwriter, so receiving this award is quite amusing.” He also thanked his team and emphasized the wealth of talent in Romania, adding, “Despite the difficult times we live in, I hope there will be more funding for culture because there is so much talent.”
