Kontinental '25
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Alexandru Teodorescu
- Rodrigo Teixiera
- Eszter Tompa
- Gabriel Spahiu
- Adonis Tanța
- Oana Mardare
- Șerban Pavlu
| Kontinental '25 | |
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 Festival release poster | |
| Directed by | Radu Jude |
| Written by | Radu Jude |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Marius Panduru |
| Edited by | Cătălin Cristutiu |
| Music by | Matei Teodorescu |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Sovereign Films (United Kingdom)[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 109 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Languages |
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| Box office | $112,092[2] |
Kontinental '25 is a 2025 Romanian absurdist black comedy-drama film written and directed by Radu Jude. It stars Eszter Tompa as a bailiff in Cluj-Napoca who faces a moral crisis when a homeless man she has evicted kills himself. Its title is inspired by the Roberto Rossellini film Europe '51.
An international co-production between Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Luxembourg, the film premiered on 19 February 2025 at the Berlin International Film Festival,[3] where it won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay.[4]
In Cluj-Napoca, bailiff Orsolya evicts a homeless man living in the basement of a building, leading to his suicide. Consumed by guilt, Orsolya begins a desperate search for understanding.
Cast
- Eszter Tompa as Orsolya
- Gabriel Spahiu as Ion
- Adonis Tanța as Fred
- Oana Mardare as Dorina
- Șerban Pavlu as Priest Șerban
- Annamária Biluska as Orsolya's mother
- Adrian Sitaru
- Marius Damian
- Nicodim Ungureanu
- Ilinca Manolache as Irina
- Dan Ursu
- Vlad Semenescu
- Daniel Paleacu
- Theodor Graur
- Marius Panduru
Themes
The film examines Romania's housing crisis, post-socialist economics, and nationalism. The protagonist's moral ambiguity reflects contemporary societal malaise.[5][6]
Release
Kontinental '25 had its world premiere on 19 February 2025, as part of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, in Competition.[7][8][9]
Paris-based Luxbox acquired the sales rights of the film in January 2025.[10]
It competed in the official competition Grand Prix competition at the Luxembourg City Film Festival on 8 March, 2025.[11][12]
The film was also screened at the CPH:DOX 2025 documentary film festival in PARA:FICTIONS section in March 2025.[13]
The film was screened in Les Auteurs at the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival on 12 April 2025.[14][15]
The film featured at the 72nd Sydney Film Festival in the Features section on 4 June 2025.[16] The film was also part of Horizons section of the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it was screened from 4 July to 10 July 2025.[17] In August it was showcased at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival in 'In Focus' section.[18]
The film also made it to the Main Slate of the 2025 New York Film Festival, where it had its North American Premiere on 4 October 2025.[19] The film was screened in 'The Essentials' for its North American Premiere at the 2025 Festival du nouveau cinéma on 9 October 2025.[20]
On 11 October 2025, it was presented in Panorama section of 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival.[21] It was also presented in 'Strands: Debate' section of the 2025 BFI London Film Festival on 17 October 2025.[22][23]
It competed in the International Feature Competition of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival for Golden Hugo on 19 October 2025.[24][25]
It was also screened in International Perspective at the São Paulo International Film Festival on 17 October 2025.[26] It will be presented in 'From The Festivals - 2025' section of the 56th International Film Festival of India in November 2025.[27]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 55 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[28] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[29]
