Radu Jude's cinema, with its provocative style and critical investigation of history, particularly that of Romania, has often explored complex and uncomfortable themes, questioning collective memory and official narratives. Often combining black humor, satire, and profound social reflections, Jude has been able to challenge the conventions of contemporary cinema, immediately finding his place within the new European scene.
The festival world has already honored him with numerous awards, despite his young age, for an auteur of his caliber. There has also been praise from great masters, among whom Martin Scorsese stands out:
“Jude takes political content, cinema, morality, immorality, throws it all on the screen, then smashes it into a thousand pieces, and suddenly you see the world differently.”
On the occasion of the Italian premiere of Kontinental '25, where Jude mixes fiction, documentary images, and archival material, Biografilm is awarding this brilliant Romanian author the Celebration of Lives Award.
After graduating in architecture, he studied mime and worked at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan. In 1974, he founded in Milan the theater cooperative Quelli di Grock. From 1970 to 1978, he worked as a screenwriter in Bruno Bozzetto's studio. In 1979 he wrote, directed, and starred in his first film, Ratataplan. He was also active in television, hosting several programs (Quovadiz? Pista! Fantasy Party) and directing more than 150 commercials over the years. In 1998, he was a member of the jury at the Berlin Film Festival and in 1999 at the Cannes Film Festival.
He won three Silver Ribbons: for Ratataplan (1980), for Ladri di saponette - The Icicle Thief (1989), for Luna e l'altra (1997), and in 1991 the David di Donatello for best screenplay for Volere Volare - To Want to Fly . He won the Moscow Film Festival in 1989 with Ladri di Saponette and the Festival of Festivals in Montreal in 1990 with Volere Volare, as well as the Brussels Fantastic Film Festival in 1997 with Luna e l'altra. Since 2014, he has been the artistic director of the Milan branch of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and running a film directing workshop at the IULM University. Since 2020, he has been the artistic director of the international documentary film festival Visioni dal Mondo in Milan. In 2025, he has returned to cinema with AmicheMai, a film starring Angela Finocchiaro and Serra Yilmaz, released in Italy on February 27.
