2025 Romanian comedy drama film by Radu Jude
Dracula Promotional poster
Directed by Radu Jude Screenplay by Radu Jude Produced by Starring Cinematography Marius Panduru Edited by Cătălin Cristuțiu Music by Wolfgang Frisch Hervé Birolini Matei Teodorescu Production companies
Saga Film RT Features Nabis Filmgroup Paul Thiltges Distribution Romanian National Film Center Distributed by Independenţa Film (Romania) Release date
10 August 2025 (2025-08-10 ) (Locarno ) Running time
170 minutes Countries Romania Austria Luxembourg Brazil Languages Budget € 1.5 million[ 1] Box office $25,775[ 2]
Dracula is a 2025satirical comedy-drama film written and directed byRadu Jude . The film title is inspired by the Gothic horror novel by Irish authorBram Stoker 'sDracula (1897). Set in contemporaryTransylvania , it explores the legend of Dracula through Romanian lenses.[ 3] [ 4]
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the78th Locarno Film Festival on 10 August 2025, where it was nominated forGolden Leopard .[ 5]
Principal photography began on 7 July 2024 on locations inTransylvania , Romania.[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] Made with a budget of €1.5 million, the project was shot over 29 days in various picturesque locations, including medieval fortresses inSighişoara andBucharest .[ 1]
In an interview to theVariety Jude said, "IfKontinental '25 is my answer toRoberto Rossellini , let’s say thatDracula is my love letter toEd Wood " (referring to the American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novelist).[ 9]
Dracula premiered at the78th Locarno Film Festival on 10 August 2025, and competed for theGolden Leopard .[ 10] [ 11] It was also presented in the Icon section at the30th Busan International Film Festival on 18 September 2025.[ 12]
The film also made it to the Currents Selections of the2025 New York Film Festival , where it had its New York Premiere on 2 October 2025.[ 13] [ 14] On 2 October 2025, it was presented in Altered States section of2025 Vancouver International Film Festival .[ 15] The film was screened at theWarsaw Film Festival in Encounters section on 10 October 2025.[ 16] and in The Essentials for its Quebec Premiere at the2025 Festival du nouveau cinéma on 13 October 2025.[ 17]
On 16 October, it competed at the58th Sitges Film Festival in the 'Oficial Fantàstic Competició' section, vying for the various awards given in the section.[ 18] [ 19]
It was also screened in the Spotlight Comedy section of the61st Chicago International Film Festival ,[ 20] and in International Perspective at theSão Paulo International Film Festival on 24 October 2025.[ 21]
It will be screened in Survey Expanded: Fragilities at theThessaloniki International Film Festival on 6 November 2025.[ 22]
It was presented in the 'Best of Festivals' at the 29thTallinn Black Nights Film Festival on 7 November 2025.[ 23]
1-2 Special acquired North American rights to the film.[ 7]
^a b "Radu Jude poised to make Dracula great again at Locarno" .Cineuropa - the best of european cinema . 10 July 2025. Retrieved10 July 2025 .^ "Dracula" .Box Office Mojo . Retrieved24 November 2025 .^ Leffler, Rebecca."Luxbox takes on international sales to Radu Jude's offbeat comedy drama 'Dracula' " .Screen . Retrieved9 July 2025 . ^ "Dracula" .Locarno Film Festival . 8 July 2025. Retrieved8 July 2025 .^ Mona Tabbara (8 July 2025)."Locarno unveils 2025 line-up including premieres of Radu Jude's 'Dracula', Kamal Aljafari's 'With Hasan In Gaza' " .ScreenDaily . Retrieved8 July 2025 . ^ "Dracula: Independent Feature Film" .Crew United . 5 June 2025. Retrieved9 July 2025 .^a b Goodfellow, Melanie (8 July 2025)."1-2 Special Takes North America For Radu Jude's 'Dracula' Ahead Of Locarno Debut" .Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved8 July 2025 . ^ Ruimy, Jordan (8 January 2025)."Radu Jude Releasing Two Films in 2025, Including 'Dracula' " .World of Reel . Retrieved9 July 2025 . ^a b Marta Balaga (8 July 2025)."Radu Jude, Abdellatif Kechiche Head to Locarno as Swiss Fest Announces Lineup, An 'Ambitious and Exciting Edition' " .Variety . Retrieved8 July 2025 . ^ Szalai, Georg (8 July 2025)." 'Dracula' by Radu Jude, David Lynch-Exec Produced 'Happy Worker' Set for Locarno Lineup" .The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved8 July 2025 . ^ Del Don, Giorgia (9 July 2025)."Locarno announces the selection of its highly anticipated competition" .Cineuropa . Retrieved9 July 2025 . ^ "Selection List : Icon" .BIFF . Retrieved28 August 2025 .^ Zilko, Christian (7 August 2025)."NYFF Reveals 2025 Currents Lineup, Including New Films by Tsai Ming-liang and Radu Jude" .IndieWire . Retrieved8 August 2025 . ^ "63rd New York Film Festival Line Up" .Film at Lincoln Center . Retrieved2 October 2025 .^ "Altered States" .Vancouver International Film Festival . 27 August 2025. Retrieved28 August 2025 .^ "Dracula" .Warsaw Film Festival . Retrieved27 September 2025 .^ "Dracula" .Festival du Nouveau Cinéma . 23 September 2025. Retrieved24 September 2025 .^ Popp, Olivia (11 September 2025)."Sitges gets ready to thrill and chill with its 2025 line-up" .Cineuropa . Retrieved11 September 2025 . ^ "Films of 2025 festival edition" .Sitges Film Festival . 10 September 2025. Retrieved2 October 2025 .^ "Dracula" .Chicago International Film Festival . 18 September 2025. Retrieved21 September 2025 .^ "Dracula" .São Paulo International Film Festival . Retrieved24 October 2025 .^ "Dracula" .Thessaloniki International Film Festival . 23 October 2025. Retrieved25 October 2025 .^ "Dracula" .Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival . 4 November 2025. Retrieved4 November 2025 .^ Georg Szalai (16 August 2025)."Locarno Film Festival Top Award Goes to 'Two Seasons, Two Strangers' by Sho Miyake" .The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved16 August 2025 . ^ "We Complete the 2025 line-up: Guillermo del Toro, Yorgos Lanthimos, Park Chan-wook, Carmen Maura, and Other Big Names in Contemporary Fantastic Genre" .Sitges Film Festival . Archived fromthe original on 14 September 2025. Retrieved14 September 2025 .
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