Romanian cinema: Radu Jude’s The Potemkinists has world premiere at Cannes Film Festival

The Potemkinists/Potemkiniștii, a short film by Romanian director Radu Jude, will have its world premiere at the 75th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival. The production was selected in the program Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, a parallel section of the prestigious festival.

The Potemkinists is a comedy about art, history, memory and cinema. The film written and directed by Radu Jude starts from the defiant gesture against Russia made in 1905 by the sailors from the Potemkin Cruiser, who received political asylum in Romania. In 2021, a sculptor (played by Alexandru Dabija) tries to make an artwork inspired by this event. Cristina Drăghici also plays a leading role in the film.

This year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival is scheduled for May 17-28.

Radu Jude was previously present at Cannes in 2014, in the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs section, with the film It Can Pass Through the Wall/Trece si prin perete, awarded with Prix Illy, special mention. He was also present the year before, in 2013, with the short film Shadow of a Cloud/O umbra de nor.

RMN, the latest film by Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, has also been selected in the main competition of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. At the same time, Alexandru Belc’s first film, Metronom, has been selected in the Un Certain Regard section.

(Photo source: PR; photo credit: microFILM)