THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MONTE-CARLO COMEDY FESTIVAL AWARDS: the Best of the Best

Good humour, bursts of laughter and a kaleidoscope of brilliant actors were all part of the Monte-Carlo Comedy Festival held in the Principality from 24th to 29th April. The only international festival devoted entirely to comedy turned 20 years in 2023, and for a whole week Monaco was the setting for the anniversary celebrations. The festival, founded and directed by Ezio Greggio, was held at the Grimaldi Forum.

The awards ceremony was held on Saturday 29th April in the presence of Prince Albert II of Monaco. Hosted by Ezio Greggio and the charming Elenoire Casalegno, the event was attended by many of the most popular stars from Italy and the rest of the world.

An international jury chaired by Giancarlo Giannini, acclaimed actor, and expert in dubbing and screenplayer, also consisted of French actor Richard Anconina, international movie star Nathalie Poza, and the eclectic Neri Marcorè, actor, comedian, singer and dubber, has made its decision. It rewarded the Argentinian film “Empieza el baile” with three prizes including Best director to Marina Seresesky, Best actor to Dario Grandinetti and the Public Prize.

The Best direction went equally to Antonio Lukich for “Luxembourg, Luxembourg”. The film is a hilarious Ukrainian dramatic-comedy about tense family relations. The Director’s stylish film, which is full of happiness and sadness, follows twin brothers struggling to bond when summoned to their estranged father’s deathbed in Luxembourg.

The prize for best actress went to Spaniard Anna Castillo for “Historias para no contar”, directed by Cesc Gay. Finally, the Short Comedy Award in the section dedicated to short films was given to the film “The 12 apostlesses”, directed by Laura Ghaza.

This year, the Movie Legend Award went to Costa-Gavras for his 54-year career. The films of Costa-Gavras, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday, have won Oscars, the Palme d’Or at Cannes and many other international awards.

Great expectations were also met for Mira Sorvino (Oscar for her role in “Mighty Aphrodite”), who won the award for her film career. And Anna Foglietta (“Perfect Strangers”, “The American”), president of the non-profit association “Every Child is My Child”, won the Best Actress of the Year award for the roles that have made her one of Italy’s favourite actresses.

Among other winners this year were also Federico Cesari (“SKAM Italia”, “Buongiorno Mamma” series), who won the Next Generation Award; Marco Gallini, one of Italy’s favourite actors, winner of three Nastri d’Argento (Silver Ribbons) for his brilliant film career; and 29-year-old Victor Belmondo, who is confidently following in the footsteps of his great grandfather, Jean-Paul.

Barbara d’Urso, Paola Barolo and Mario De La Rosa (Suárez in the “La casa de papel”), who was a member of the festival jury two years ago, attended the evening as guests. The musical guest for the evening was the Dutch singer Claude, who performed his hit song Ladada.

Sponsored by EFG Bank Monaco, the festival is held annually under the High Patronage of Prince Albert II and the Italian Embassy.