The world's only international film festival given over entirely to comedy returns to Monte-Carlo this week, and the 23rd edition has arrived with one of its starriest line-ups in years. Olivia Wilde's new ensemble piece The Invite, co-starring Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton and Seth Rogen, will have its Monte-Carlo premiere at the Grimaldi Forum. Seven films are in competition, four countries are represented, and the Awards Gala closes the week on Saturday night.
From Wednesday 11 to Saturday 14 November 2026, the Monte-Carlo Film Festival de la Comédie — founded and chaired by Italian actor-director Ezio Greggio, and held under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II and the Italian Embassy — takes over the Grimaldi Forum for four days of screenings, red-carpet moments and a closing-night gala where this year's prizes are handed out.
If you are staying at Villa Monaco this week, the venue sits roughly 20 minutes on foot along the seafront from the villa — and a daytime screening is one of the more elegant ways to spend a November afternoon in the Principality, especially when the Mediterranean light goes early and the terrace is best enjoyed with a blanket and a book rather than a cocktail.
A festival with one rule — make them laugh
Comedy is the hardest genre to take seriously at a film festival. Cannes crowns drama. Venice crowns the auteur. Monte-Carlo, under Ezio Greggio's direction, has quietly built the only major competition in the world where the prize goes to the funniest film. The result is a programme that has little patience for solemnity — but takes craft, timing and performance very seriously indeed.
This edition is a telling snapshot of where comedy sits on either side of the Atlantic right now. From the United States, an Olivia Wilde ensemble produced by A24. From France, a world premiere starring Kristin Scott Thomas. From Italy, three competing titles and the festival's out-of-competition opener. Plus a Spanish entry opening the competition on Wednesday night, and a German film about a four-year-old prodigy who may be smarter than everyone around her. Four countries, seven very different films, one common language.
The 2026 Jury
The seven films in competition
Each title below screens once during the festival at the Grimaldi Forum. Entry to screenings is free, subject to availability on the day — more on how that works further down.
The Invite
Starring Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton and Seth Rogen
Wilde's A24-produced ensemble comedy is the headline screening of the week and its Monte-Carlo premiere, dropped squarely into Thursday night's prime slot. On paper, the cast reads like a late-period Woody Allen roster; in practice, it is Wilde operating in the sharp, character-driven register she has moved into as a director.
Camembert
Starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Guillermo Guiz
The festival's French world premiere is a late-career comic turn for Kristin Scott Thomas — a performer most associated with restraint — opposite Belgian stand-up Guillermo Guiz. Programming it as a morning slot is a small act of confidence: the directors want the room awake and the audience fresh.
Altas Capacidades
García León opens the competition proper on Wednesday evening, after the out-of-competition afternoon screening. Spanish comedy has had a strong decade festival-wise, and Altas Capacidades — the title translates loosely as "gifted" — carries that lineage.
Pizza Movies
Padial's film is the second Spanish entry, in the Thursday morning slot. His work tends to live at the intersection of satire and the deadpan absurd — the sort of film best watched with coffee and a willingness to be surprised.
Dov'è la Fiesta?
The first of three Italian titles in competition, and probably the best match for a Thursday-afternoon audience: a title that translates as "where's the party?" largely declares itself. Gentili is one of the younger voices in contemporary Italian comedy.
Agnes & Amir
The festival's German entry — a story centred on a precocious four-year-old girl who may be considerably sharper than the adults around her, and the odd-couple family dynamic that follows. Hufnagel has built a reputation for comedy with a serious emotional spine, and this is in that vein.
È andata così
Zanasi closes the feature competition on Friday evening, the last film to screen before the jury retires to deliberate. Of the three Italian titles, this is the one placed in the showcase position — a programming decision that always tells you something about where the festival thinks its heart is.
Out of competition — the opening film
Un Weekend Artificiale
Pieraccioni — one of Italian cinema's most consistently popular comic voices for three decades — opens the festival on Wednesday afternoon with the world premiere of Un Weekend Artificiale. Screening out of competition, it sets the tone: a pure crowd-pleaser from a director who built his career on them.
The Short Comedy Award 2026
Four short films compete for the 2026 Short Comedy Award in a single evening programme on Wednesday 11 November from 7:00pm — the night-before counter-programming to the next day's big premiere.
Zohra sans permis
Pierre-Loup Docteur
Please Hold
Donald McQuade
Olive
India Santella
Serenade
Eulalie Elsker
The four-day schedule at a glance
11 November
12 November
13 November
14 November
The Awards Gala
The festival closes with its Awards Gala on Saturday evening — hosted by Ezio Greggio, broadcast partners in the room, and the jury's decision on the Best Comedy Film 2026 announced during the ceremony. Tickets are fixed-price and available in advance.
Gala ticket · in advance
Why this is a good week to be in Monaco
Staying at Villa Monaco during the festival
November is one of our favourite months in Monaco. The crowds of yacht-show season have gone, the Christmas market has not yet arrived, and the Principality takes on the quieter, more civic rhythm it keeps for most of the real year. A culture week like this one — a four-day film festival where you can walk to the venue — fits that rhythm perfectly.
The Grimaldi Forum is a straightforward walk along the seafront from Villa Monaco: head east from the villa, pass the Larvotto beach promenade, and the Forum is at the end. Around 20 minutes on foot in good weather, or a short taxi ride if the mistral is up. For morning screenings, the walk gets you to your seat with a coffee and a view of the sea. For evening ones, the return walk in the cold air is the better part of a long day's cinema.
For guests travelling for the week, direct booking gets you the best rate and the flexibility to shape the stay around the schedule above — mornings on the terrace, afternoons at the Forum, dinners back at the villa.
Practical information
Venue
Grimaldi Forum Monaco
10 Avenue Princesse Grace
98000 Monaco
Dates
Wednesday 11 — Saturday 14 November 2026
Four days of screenings and the Awards Gala
Screenings
Free entry, subject to availability on the day. Arrive early for premieres — the Invite and the two world premieres will fill up quickly.
Awards Gala
Saturday 14 November · 7:00pm
€50 in advance · tickets at montecarlofilmfestival.com
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a ticket for the daytime screenings?
No. All daytime and evening screenings during the festival are free to attend, subject to availability on the day. For the headline slots — the Wilde premiere on Thursday evening and the two world premieres — arriving at least 30–45 minutes before the screening is a good idea. The Awards Gala on Saturday is the only ticketed event, at €50.
Where exactly is the Grimaldi Forum?
10 Avenue Princesse Grace, in Monte-Carlo's Larvotto district, directly on the seafront. From Villa Monaco, it is roughly a 20-minute walk east along the coast or a short taxi ride. From Monaco-Monte-Carlo station, about 15 minutes on foot; from Nice Airport, around 30–40 minutes by car depending on traffic.
Will the films be shown in their original language?
Festival screenings are typically shown in their original language with French subtitles — standard practice for Monte-Carlo's international festivals. Programme notes at the venue confirm the format for each individual screening.
Will Olivia Wilde and the cast of The Invite be there?
Red-carpet appearances are confirmed at the festival across its four days, but which specific cast members attend each screening is only confirmed closer to the day itself. For Thursday evening's Monte-Carlo premiere of The Invite, arriving well in advance of the 7:45pm start is the best way to see who shows up.
Who is on the jury?
The 2026 jury is chaired by Italian director Fausto Brizzi, joined by Paul Belmondo, Vanessa Incontrada and Yvonne Sciò. Their decision on the Best Comedy Film award is announced live at the Awards Gala on Saturday evening.
What else is worth doing in Monaco that week?
Mid-November is a quiet, cultured stretch in the Principality. The Nouveau Musée National de Monaco is open across both its Villa Paloma and Villa Sauber sites; the Oceanographic Museum is less crowded than in high season; and the Christmas market on Port Hercule traditionally opens in the second half of November, which may overlap with the final festival weekend. The New Moods programme at Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer is also running across the season for after-screening dinners.
Can I book Villa Monaco for the festival week?
Yes — for this year's edition we will almost certainly be fully booked by the time you read this, but the 2027 edition (traditionally held in mid-November) can be booked directly now. Our direct-booking page has live availability and the best available rate; a stay across the festival dates is typically four or five nights for guests who want to cover the premieres plus the Saturday gala.
Who founded the festival, and how long has it been running?
The Monte-Carlo Film Festival de la Comédie was founded by Italian actor-director Ezio Greggio, who has chaired it for all 23 of its editions. It is held under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and the Italian Embassy, and it remains the only international film festival in the world dedicated exclusively to comedy.
Stay close to the Grimaldi Forum
Villa Monaco sits a 20-minute seafront walk from the venue — the civilised way to attend a four-day film festival. Book directly for 2027's edition and the stretch of culture-rich weeks that follow.
Book 2027 dates