Sovereign has acquired U.Okay. and Eire rights to “Kontinental ’25,” the most recent movie from Romanian auteur Radu Jude that gained the Silver Berlin Bear for finest screenplay at February’s Berlin International Film Festival.
The comedy-drama, which additionally earned a Golden Berlin Bear nomination for finest movie and a Grand Prix nod on the Luxembourg Metropolis Movie Competition, is concentrating on a U.Okay. and Eire theatrical launch in late 2025.
Set in Cluj, the capital of Transylvania, “Kontinental ’25” follows Orsolya (Eszter Tompa), a bailiff who faces an ethical disaster after evicting a homeless man from a cellar with disastrous outcomes. The forged contains Gabriel Spahiu, Adonis Tanța, Șerban Pavlu, Oana Mardare, Annamária Biluska, Adrian Sitaru, Marius Damian, Nicodim Ungureanu and Ilinca Manolache.
Reviewing the film for Variety, Man Lodge praised the movie as “extraordinary,” calling it a “searing indictment of crumbling social care in a post-socialist financial system” and noting that “nothing about ‘Kontinental ’25’ is simple, from its scabrous anger to its layered political and historic commentary.”
The film marks Jude’s follow-up to his Berlin Golden Bear winner “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn” and his Locarno Special Jury Prize winner “Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World.”
Sovereign CEO Andreas Roald said: “We’re thrilled to be able to bring Kontinental ’25 to U.K. and Irish audiences. With Radu Jude’s signature boldness, the film captures the contradictions of modern life with biting clarity and dark humor. It’s a powerful reflection on guilt, responsibility and the absurdities of our social systems, anchored by a haunting performance and a raw, stripped-back aesthetic.”
The pickup adds to Sovereign’s slate that includes Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness,” Ulrich Seidl’s “Rimini,” and upcoming releases “Desire: The Carl Craig Story” and “Small Gods.”
“Kontinental ’25” is produced by Alex Teodorescu and Rodrigo Teixeira, with executive producers including Ramona Grama, Andreas Roald, Dan Wechsler, Jamal Zeinal-Zade, Berta Marchiori, Fernanda Frotté, Paul Thiltges and Adrien Chef. The film is a Saga Film production in co-production with RT Features, Bord Cadre Films and Paul Thiltges Distributions, with world sales handled by Luxbox.
