Radu Jude and Esiri Brothers Adapt Mirbeau and Woolf for Cannes 2026

At the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, two literary adaptations premiered in the Quinzaine des Cinéastes section: Radu Jude's 'Le Journal d’une femme de chambre' (based on Octave Mirbeau's novel) and Chuko and Arie Esiri's 'Clarissa' (based on Virginia Woolf's 'Mrs Dalloway'). Both films transpose their source material to contemporary settings. Jude, a Romanian director, reimagines Mirbeau's 1900 novel about a chambermaid's diary in modern-day France. The Esiri brothers, Nigerian filmmakers, update Woolf's 1925 stream-of-consciousness narrative to present-day Lagos. The Quinzaine des Cinéastes is a parallel section of the Cannes festival known for showcasing innovative and emerging cinema. The adaptations were praised for their fidelity to the original works while addressing current social and political issues.