Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt 2026 – France

What to expect in 2026

The Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt returns for its 49th edition as a major celebration of Italian cinema in the Lorraine and Luxembourg border region. The official 2026 festival information announces a programme of 70 films presented across four cities and six screening venues, with more than 250 screenings. All films are presented in their original Italian-language versions with French subtitles unless a special indication is given.

The 2026 edition combines contemporary Italian cinema with classic works, thematic programming and retrospectives. The official sections include Panorama, Competition and Retrospective, giving visitors opportunities to discover current Italian productions while also revisiting important works from the history of Italian cinema.

A central thematic programme is titled “Mon père, ce héros… (?)”. The festival uses a selection of around ten films to examine the changing representation of fathers in Italian cinema, beginning with Vittorio De Sica’s Ladri di biciclette and extending to Francesca Comencini’s Il tempo che ci vuole. The programme considers the evolution of the father figure from authority and patriarchy toward more vulnerable, emotional and complicated representations.

The festival is also preparing an important tribute to Monica Vitti. The official presentation traces her career from theatre and her collaboration with Michelangelo Antonioni through her later work in Italian cinema and comedy. Her connection with films including L’avventura, La notte, L’eclisse and Il deserto rosso gives the retrospective a strong place within the programme.

The festival experience extends beyond screenings. Visitors can move between several venues in France and Luxembourg, attend different categories of films, discover Italian food and cultural activities, and use the festival pass for access to the complete screening programme.

Festival dates

The Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt 2026 takes place from October 23 to November 8, 2026.

The 49th edition is organised across four cities and six screening venues, with more than 250 screenings scheduled throughout the festival.

The official festival website identifies the 2026 edition as a 17-day event and lists 70 films, six cinemas and four cities as the principal figures for the festival.

Visiting this event? Don’t miss out on these amazing activities and local experiences while you’re here.

Venues & festival locations

The festival uses a network of venues across Villerupt, Audun-le-Tiche, Esch-sur-Alzette and Dudelange.

Hôtel de Ville de Villerupt

The Hôtel de Ville is located on Avenue Albert Lebrun in Villerupt and has a capacity of approximately 650 seats. It is one of the principal festival locations and also serves as an important point for festival ticketing and visitor information.

L’Arche de Villerupt

L’Arche is located at 1 Esplanade Nino Rota. It contains two screening spaces, including the Grande Salle with approximately 660 seats and the Arche Cinéma with approximately 140 seats.

Le Cinémobile

The Cinémobile has approximately 100 seats and is used for festival programming in Villerupt and decentralised activities.

MJC d’Audun-le-Tiche

The MJC is located at 31 rue du Général Leclerc in Audun-le-Tiche. Its cinema space has approximately 138 seats according to the festival’s venue information.

Kulturfabrik d’Esch-sur-Alzette

The Kulturfabrik is located at 116 rue de Luxembourg in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. Its cinema facilities include two rooms with capacities of approximately 72 and 144 seats.

Cinema Starlight CNA de Dudelange

The Starlight cinema at the Centre National de l’Audiovisuel is located at 1b rue du Centenaire in Dudelange, Luxembourg. It provides another important screening location within the festival network.

Full programme

The 2026 programme is built around several official sections and thematic strands.

Competition

The competition section is one of the principal ways the festival introduces contemporary Italian cinema. Visitors can discover recent Italian productions and follow the films considered for the festival’s awards.

Panorama

The Panorama section expands the programme beyond the competition and gives audiences access to additional contemporary Italian films and other selected works.

Retrospective

The retrospective programming focuses on important figures and themes in Italian cinema. The 2026 edition gives particular attention to Monica Vitti and to the representation of fathers in Italian cinema.

Thematic programme

“Mon père, ce héros… (?)” examines the changing image of fathers across several decades of Italian filmmaking. The selected films cover different periods and approaches, making the theme useful for visitors interested in Italian society as represented through cinema.

Classic cinema

The programme also includes celebrated Italian films from earlier generations. The festival’s archive demonstrates its long-standing interest in presenting major works of Italian cinema alongside contemporary productions.

Italian cinema across borders

The presence of venues in Luxembourg reflects the festival’s long-standing cross-border identity. The programme therefore reaches audiences on both sides of the French-Luxembourg border rather than being limited to Villerupt itself.

Featured films & premieres

The 2026 online programme includes a broad selection of Italian films and archived works.

Among the films currently presented by the festival is Gabriele Muccino’s A Casa Tutti Bene, a family drama centred on an extended family whose reunion becomes complicated when circumstances prevent them from immediately leaving an island.

Francesca Comencini’s Il tempo che ci vuole is particularly relevant to the 2026 fatherhood theme. The film explores the relationship between a father and daughter and connects personal memories with cinema through the story of filmmaker Luigi Comencini and his daughter Francesca.

Paolo Genovese’s Follemente follows two people meeting for a first dinner while their competing inner voices and personalities become part of the film’s structure.

Francesca Archibugi’s Vivere focuses on the Attorre family in Rome and explores relationships, family pressures and personal difficulties through an ensemble story.

Gabriele Muccino’s films are also represented through the festival’s programme, while other contemporary titles include Belli Ciao, La Cena Perfetta, Settembre, Quasi a Casa and Sotto le Nuvole.

The festival programme also includes films connected with Italian cinema’s earlier periods. Senso by Luchino Visconti and I Soliti Ignoti by Mario Monicelli are examples of classic works included within the festival’s broader film archive.

Directors, actors & guests

The 2026 programme includes films by a wide range of Italian directors, including Gabriele Muccino, Francesca Comencini, Paolo Genovese, Francesca Archibugi, Daniele Gaglianone, Giulia Louise Steigerwalt, Cristiano Bortone and Francesco Sossai.

The cast information published on the official film pages includes Italian actors such as Edoardo Leo, Pilar Fogliati, Stefania Sandrelli, Ivano Marescotti, Barbara Ronchi, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Pierfrancesco Favino, Micaela Ramazzotti and other performers.

The Monica Vitti tribute is devoted to one of the defining actresses of Italian cinema. The festival’s official biography highlights her theatre training, her decisive professional relationship with Michelangelo Antonioni and her later success in Italian comedy.

The festival’s current 2026 information does not provide a complete final guest list in the material currently published online. Visitors should therefore consult the festival’s programme and news pages for confirmed filmmaker and actor appearances rather than relying on unconfirmed guest announcements.

Screening schedule

The festival states that more than 250 screenings are scheduled across its six screening rooms. Films are shown at different times of day, including late morning, afternoon and evening sessions.

Many films are screened more than once and in different venues. This gives visitors greater flexibility when constructing a personal programme and makes it possible to choose another screening when a preferred session is full.

The official website provides a dedicated screening timetable section. The festival states that the detailed 2026 programme becomes available through its official programme system, allowing visitors to check individual films, venues and session information.

The festival recommends planning the route between venues carefully, especially for visitors who want to attend consecutive screenings in different towns.

Ticket types & accreditation

The 2026 public ticket structure includes individual tickets, student and school-student tickets, reduced tickets for visitors under 15, a six-film package and a public festival pass.

The official prices converted to US dollars are approximately:

• Public Festival Pass: $102.00
• Standard single ticket: $9.07
• Student/high-school student ticket: $5.67
• Reduced ticket for under-15s: $4.53
• Six-film package: $51.00
• Meal plus two films: $37.40
• C.E. and association single ticket: $8.50
• C.E. or association meal plus two films: $36.27

The Public Festival Pass is an individual permanent pass providing unlimited access to the festival’s screenings and participating screening rooms. The festival states that the pass can be ordered through its official website and collected from the accreditation service with identification.

Individual public tickets are sold on site according to the festival’s stated sales conditions. Tickets and passes do not guarantee admission to a particular screening when the venue is full.

Industry & professional access

The Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt has a professional dimension alongside its public programme. The festival has previously organised professional juries, industry-related activities, filmmaker encounters and cinema education initiatives.

The professional dimension is also visible through the festival’s awards. In the previous edition, an Amilcar des Professionnels was awarded by a jury composed of cinema professionals including cinema directors, trainers and programmers.

The festival’s Pro/Presse area provides dedicated information for professional and media visitors. Those attending for professional reasons should consult the official accreditation information before travelling because professional access may differ from ordinary public ticketing.

The festival also works with schools and young audiences, making education an important part of its wider cinema programme.

Red carpet & special events

The festival has a strong public-event atmosphere built around screenings, guests, thematic programmes and meetings. Its venues in Villerupt and neighbouring Luxembourg towns create a multi-location festival environment rather than a single cinema complex.

The 2026 programme gives special importance to the Monica Vitti tribute and the “Mon père, ce héros… (?)” thematic retrospective. These programmes provide opportunities to experience Italian cinema through curated selections rather than only individual contemporary releases.

The festival’s previous editions have also included special cultural activities connected with local organisations, food, cinema education and filmmaker encounters.

Specific 2026 red-carpet appearances and individual celebrity events should be checked against the official programme because the festival has not published a complete final guest schedule in the currently available information.

Festival rules

The festival’s ticket conditions state that every ticket or pass provides access only within the limits of available seating.

A ticket does not guarantee entry to a specific film or screening. When a screening is full, the festival advises visitors to attend another screening of their choice.

Tickets purchased by the public are non-refundable. Visitors should therefore select their programme carefully before purchasing individual tickets or packages.

The Public Festival Pass is individual and must be collected through the festival’s accreditation service with identification. The festival also limits online Pass Public orders to one pass per person at a time.

All films are presented in original version with French subtitles unless a specific exception is indicated. This is an important consideration for international visitors who do not speak French or Italian.

How to get there

Villerupt is situated in northeastern France near the Luxembourg border. Its location makes the festival accessible from the wider Grand Est region as well as from Luxembourg.

The festival itself operates across Villerupt, Audun-le-Tiche, Esch-sur-Alzette and Dudelange, so visitors should identify the location of each screening before travelling.

For visitors arriving from outside the region, Luxembourg provides an important international transport gateway. Longwy is also a useful nearby French transport and accommodation centre.

Once in the region, the festival’s official venue information provides estimated travel times between the participating venues, which can be useful when planning a full day of screenings.

Public transport & parking

Because the festival operates across several towns, public transport and private vehicles can both be useful depending on the chosen programme.

Visitors attending several screenings should allow sufficient transfer time between Villerupt, Audun-le-Tiche and the Luxembourg venues.

The festival provides route information between its screening venues, including approximate travel times by foot and car. For example, the festival estimates a short journey between the Hôtel de Ville and L’Arche, while journeys to the Luxembourg venues take longer.

Parking arrangements can vary by individual venue and town. Visitors driving to a screening should check local parking availability around the particular cinema rather than assuming that one central festival car park serves all locations.

The cross-border nature of the festival also means visitors should check transport schedules when returning from evening screenings in Luxembourg.

Accommodation areas

Villerupt is the most convenient base for visitors who want to concentrate on screenings at the Hôtel de Ville and L’Arche.

Longwy is another practical accommodation area in the French part of the region. Its larger selection of hotels and services can be useful for visitors travelling from outside the area.

On the Luxembourg side, Esch-sur-Alzette provides accommodation and dining facilities close to the Kulturfabrik. Dudelange is another option for visitors whose programme includes screenings at the CNA Starlight.

The festival itself recommends visitors use tourism organisations including the Office de Tourisme du Grand Longwy, Gîtes de France 54, the Esch City Tourist Office and local tourism information services to find hotels, guesthouses and holiday accommodation.

Food & dining

Food is an important part of the festival atmosphere, with the organisation providing information about restaurants and catering close to the screening venues.

The festival’s official visitor guide explains that meals can be arranged around the Hôtel de Ville de Villerupt and establishments close to the cinemas.

The ticket programme also includes a meal-plus-two-films combination, providing a way for visitors to combine dining with festival screenings.

Visitors staying in Villerupt can therefore plan meals around the main festival locations, while those attending screenings in Esch-sur-Alzette or Dudelange can use the restaurants and cafés available around those venues.

The festival has previously promoted Italian food and local culinary activities as part of its wider cultural programme, reinforcing the connection between cinema and Italian culture.

Accessibility

The festival operates across several different venues, each with its own building layout, seating capacity and facilities. Accessibility arrangements can therefore differ between the Hôtel de Ville, L’Arche, MJC, Kulturfabrik and CNA Starlight.

Visitors with mobility or other accessibility requirements should contact the festival organisation before attending so that the relevant venue arrangements can be confirmed.

The festival publishes individual venue information including addresses and capacities, which can help visitors identify the appropriate screening location.

The official contact number is +33 3 82 89 40 22 and the festival’s organisation email is organisation@festival-villerupt.com.

Because accessibility information is not fully detailed on the central 2026 venue pages, visitors should obtain confirmation directly from the festival rather than assuming that every screening venue offers identical facilities.

Best screenings to attend

The 2026 programme offers several useful starting points for visitors with different interests.

Monica Vitti tribute

The Monica Vitti tribute is an important choice for audiences interested in Italian film history. The festival’s presentation covers her work with Michelangelo Antonioni and her later career, providing an overview of one of Italy’s best-known actresses.

Mon père, ce héros… (?)

This thematic programme is particularly relevant to visitors interested in the relationship between Italian cinema and social change. The selection follows the transformation of the father figure from post-war authority to more complex and vulnerable representations.

Il tempo che ci vuole

Francesca Comencini’s film fits directly into the fatherhood theme and explores the relationship between a father and daughter against a background connected with cinema and family memory.

A Casa Tutti Bene

Gabriele Muccino’s ensemble family drama provides a contemporary example of Italian cinema dealing with family relationships, unresolved tensions and generational differences.

Follemente

Paolo Genovese’s film uses multiple inner personalities to examine the dynamics of a first dinner between two people, making it an interesting choice for audiences looking for contemporary Italian comedy and relationship cinema.

Sotto le Nuvole

Gianfranco Rosi’s film explores Naples and the area around Vesuvius through documentary filmmaking, making it a useful choice for viewers interested in contemporary Italian documentary cinema.

Previous year’s highlights

The previous edition attracted nearly 42,000 admissions, according to the festival’s official post-event report.

The 2025 Amilcar du Jury went to Greta Scarano’s La vita da grandi, while Ciao bambino by Edgardo Pistone received a special mention from the jury and won the Amilcar du Jury Jeunes.

The Amilcar de la Critique went to Gianfranco Rosi’s Pompei, sotto le nuvole, with Francesco Sossai’s Le Dernier pour la route receiving a special mention.

The Amilcar des Exploitants went to Pile ou face by Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis.

The Amilcar du Public went to Diamanti by Ferzan Ozpetek, while director Andrea Segre received the Amilcar de la Ville de Villerupt.

The 2025 programme also included a tribute to Marco Bellocchio, a Venice-themed retrospective and numerous special screenings, filmmaker encounters and cultural events.

The previous edition demonstrates the festival’s combination of contemporary cinema, established filmmakers, retrospectives and public awards, a structure that continues into the 2026 edition.

Official tickets & accreditation

The official Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt ticket system provides the current public ticket options and the Public Festival Pass.

The Public Festival Pass costs approximately $102.00 after conversion from the official listed price. It is an individual pass that provides unlimited access to the festival’s eligible screenings and participating venues.

Visitors who do not want unlimited access can purchase individual tickets at approximately $9.07, while student and high-school student tickets are approximately $5.67 and reduced tickets for visitors under 15 are approximately $4.53.

The six-film package is approximately $51.00. A meal combined with two films is approximately $37.40 for the general public.

The festival’s C.E. and association rates include approximately $8.50 for a single ticket and approximately $36.27 for a meal combined with two films.

The festival states that public tickets are sold on site and that the Public Pass can be ordered online through the official shop. Pass collection requires identification at the festival’s accreditation service.

Professional and press visitors should use the dedicated Pro/Presse section of the official festival website for accreditation information rather than purchasing a standard public ticket.

The official festival website is the primary source for programme updates, screening schedules, ticket information, venue details and accreditation.