Comedy Goes Behind the Scenes at the Comedie-Francaise

Paris – 19/07/2026: Three days before its theatrical release, the French comedy “De la Comedie-Francaise” focuses on the final hours before a theater premiere. The 75-minute film by Bertrand Usclat and Martin Darondeau opens in French cinemas on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. It centers on Nina, who is due to present her first production at the Comedie-Francaise.

The plot begins three hours before the scheduled start. During the final rehearsals, operations fall out of sync: delays, technical difficulties, nervousness and conflicts among those involved put the production under pressure. Nina must nevertheless get the show on stage. The film uses this tightly limited timeframe for a comedy about the tension between artistic ambition, organizational precision and human vanity.

Directors Usclat and Darondeau also contributed to the screenplay. Additional screenplay contributions come from Pauline Clement and Clemence Dargent. The French feature film was produced by Atelier de Production. Unifrance lists the work as a 2026 French theatrical production with a running time of one hour and 15 minutes.

Before its regular release, several preview screenings are scheduled across the greater Paris area on Sunday, July 19, 2026. A screening at MK2 Nation in the 12th arrondissement at 8 p.m. has been announced, with members of the film team attending and a discussion to follow. Other screenings will take place the same day in Le Perreux-sur-Marne, Antony and Cachan, among other locations.

The cast includes Pauline Clement as Nina, Laurent Stocker as Philippe and Julien Frison as Antoine. Marina Hands, Adeline d’Hermy, Daniele Lebrun, Christian Hecq, Serge Bagdassarian, Sephora Pondi, Florence Viala and Guillaume Gallienne also appear. The film thus brings together numerous actors associated with the Comedie-Francaise or influential within its circle.

The setting is not merely decorative. The film follows the path through rehearsal rooms, corridors, dressing rooms and workshops within a major theater operation. Its focus is on the areas of work that audiences do not normally see before a performance: makeup, costumes, technical operations, front of house, administration and stage management. The fictional premiere thus becomes an opportunity to show the collective work behind the performance.

The Comedie-Francaise, whose ensemble ranks among France’s best-known theater institutions, is not treated in the comedy as an untouchable monument. The film combines respect for theater operations with a heightened portrayal of its routines and frictions. Whether Nina and the troupe can save the premiere in time remains part of the narrative suspense until the film’s release.