De la comédie française

Year: 2026
Country: France
Director: Bertrand Usclat, Martin Darondeau
Directors: Bertrand Usclat, Martin Darondeau
Costume designer: Chloé de Nombel
Composer: Clément Ducol
Cast: Florence Viala, Françoise Gillard, Laurent Stocker, Guillaume Gallienne, Julie Sicard, Serge Bagdassarian, Christian Hecq, Nicolas Lormeau, Gilles David, Suliane Brahim, Adeline d'Hermy, Benjamin Lavernhe, Julien Frison, Marina Hands, Danièle Lebrun, Pauline Clément, Élissa Alloula, Séphora Pondi, Nicolas Chupin, Sefa Yeboah
Genre: comedy
Runtime: 75 min.
Age: 18+
Nina is handed both a great honour and a formidable challenge: to stage a production for France's legendary Comédie-Française. For her debut at the House of Molière, she chooses the most treacherous play of all — by Shakespeare. Just uttering its name, so the superstition goes, can bring bad luck. And on the opening night of "Macbeth", trouble begins to rain down, one disaster after another. But at the Comédie-Française, the show must go on. So the director, together with her cast and crew, struggles to untangle one mess after another — unearthing skeletons along the way, and putting the famous "actors' brotherhood" to the ultimate test.

Directors Bertrand Usclat and Martin Darondeau have crafted a hilarious parody of one of the world's most prestigious theatre companies — and at the same time, a love letter to the grand old institution itself, and to the flawed, eccentric, deeply human people who bring it to life. Ordinary people — but exceptionally talented, and utterly devoted to the world they serve.

The film, which captures one madcap day in the life of the Comédie-Française, was indeed shot inside the legendary building itself. The theatre, which rarely opens its doors to cinema, bent its own strict rules — not only allowing the crew inside, but also letting its own actors appear on screen. And it was worth it: a playful reminder that theatre is a world open to everyone. Sometimes chaotic, hilarious, absurd, or even perilous — but always, in its own way, magnificent.

Awards & Festivals:

  • Alpe d'Huez International Comedy Film Festival – Jury Prize, Audience Award, and Canal+ Award for Best Film
  • Eurasian Film Festival "1/6" (Yekaterinburg) – Best Foreign Feature Debut, Best Ensemble Cast
  • New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) – participation