Coming off two 2025 debuts and on the eve of his latest feature, Diary of a Chambermaid, premiering at Cannes, Radu Jude—perhaps striving to make Hong Sang-soo look like a layabout—is rolling cameras on a new film next month. Tentatively titled Love Diptych, it marks “a clearing of [his] obligation towards Romanian realities” and, like Kontinental ’25, exists in the shadow of Roberto Rossellini—in this case the director’s great L’amore, which placed Anna Magnani in two narratively separate, thematically related stories (or: a diptych). Production, supported in part by Rodrigo Teixeira, is expected to last just 13 days in the villages of Dârza and Sitaru. With an early 2027 premiere eyed, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Jude make yet another appearance at Berlinale or Rotterdam.
The announcement comes courtesy of Film New Europe, to which Jude offered this explanation:
“I spoke recently about Godard’s mention of R.W. Fassbinder’s ‘creative obligations’ towards Germany, and this is an idea I feel more and more drawn to. The independent film Love Diptych (working title) will be no exception, and represents a clearing of my obligation towards Romanian realities, towards the history of cinema (as it is a dialogue with L’Amore by Roberto Rossellini), towards the wonderful actors and film professionals who agree to work with me, towards the producers who believe in the project (Alex Teodorescu, Rodrigo Teixeira, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Volodymyr and Anna Yatsenko), and, last but not least, towards an idea about low-budget cinema as an essential form of filmmaking.”
Oana Maria Zaharia (Dracula, Bad Luck Banging), Nicoleta Hâncu, Endre Racz, and Jude regulars Șerban Pavlu and Gabriel Spahiu lead the film, in which Lydia Lunch, Pierre Weiss, and Ilinca Manolache are anticipated to make “special appearances.” Jude’s frequent DP Marius Panduru is behind the camera, while editor Cătălin Cristuțiu and costume designer Cireșica Cuciuc also return.