Film Movement announced the acquisition of U.S. distribution rights to “The Diary of a Chambermaid,” the first French-language feature from Romanian director Radu Jude. The film debuted at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight before securing North American distribution. Producer Saïd Ben Saïd of SBS Productions created the project, with the deal involving Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg and Kevin Chneiweiss of Paris-based SBS International.
The picture follows its Cannes premiere with screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, where it will receive its U.S. premiere. Film Movement plans a theatrical release in the United States followed by availability across video-on-demand, digital platforms, and home entertainment formats.
“The Diary of a Chambermaid” represents Jude’s 12th feature film in 11 years of directing. The filmmaker has established himself as a prolific voice in European cinema, with recent works including “Kontinental ’25” and “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World,” both of which competed for major prizes at Berlin and Locarno in 2025. The current project constitutes his entry into French-language filmmaking and his debut at Cannes.
The film adapts Octave Mirbeau’s classic novel, which has previously been adapted for cinema by directors Jean Renoir, Luis Buñuel, and Benoît Jacquot. Ana Dumitrașcu stars as Gianina, a Romanian domestic worker employed by a wealthy Bordeaux family portrayed by Vincent Macaigne and Mélanie Thierry. The narrative centers on Gianina’s experience as a live-in housekeeper and childcare provider while she maintains a separate existence as a performer in a theatrical adaptation of Mirbeau’s source material.
The acquisition strengthens Film Movement’s distribution slate, which includes additional festival selections such as the animated drama “Bouchra” from the Toronto and New York festivals, “Barrio Triste” from Venice’s Orizzonti section, Chie Hayakawa’s Cannes competition entry “Renoir,” and Dominik Moll’s “Case 137.”
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI