Just a few months after the world premiere at Cannes, The Diary of a Chambermaid (Jurnalul unei cameriste), the latest feature film signed by Radu Jude, enters the selection of two of the most influential film festivals in the world: the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the New York Film Festival (NYFF).

The film was selected for the Wavelengths section, one of the most important sections dedicated to auteur cinema at the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as for the Main Slate, the official competition of the New York Film Festival.

“I am very glad that this film, made with great effort, is reaching the most important festivals in North America. It is a film shot primarily in France, the first I have made outside Romania, but it is rather a Romanian film, first and foremost through the issues it addresses. I am glad for the recognition of the work of the lead actress, Ana Dumitrașcu, just as I am glad for the Romanian co-producer, Avanpost, who made great efforts to make the film, especially since it was rejected at the competition of the National Centre of Cinematography,” stated director Radu Jude.

The Diary of a Chambermaid (Jurnalul unei cameriste) is a majority French production made by SBS Productions, with Saïd Ben Saïd as producer, and Avanpost as Romanian minority co-producer. The co-producers from Romania are Vlad Rădulescu and Carmen Rizac.

The project was supported in Romania by BRD Groupe Société Générale and Avanpost, with iStyle and BMW Romania as partners.

Freely inspired by the novel by Octave Mirbeau, the film proposes a contemporary reinterpretation of the story, through a perspective that puts Romania and France, East and West, migration, domestic work, social inequalities, and power relations in today’s Europe into dialogue.

The film tells the story of Gianina, who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy family in Bordeaux. She dedicates herself entirely to caring for her employers’ son, while her daughter grows up far from her, in Romania. Christmas is approaching, and Gianina hopes to be able to see her little girl again.

The Diary of a Chambermaid (Le Journal d’une femme de chambre) had its world premiere at Cannes 2026, in the Quinzaine des Cinéastes section. The cast includes Romanian and international actors, among them Ana Dumitrașcu, Sofia Drăgoman, Ilinca Manolache, Liliana Ghiță, Marie Rivière, Mélanie Thierry, and Vincent Macaigne. The cinematography is signed by Marius Panduru, and the editing by Cătălin Cristuțiu.

The Diary of a Chambermaid will enter Romanian cinemas starting November 20, distributed by Independența Film.