Presentation of Cinesorriso Imperia

The first edition of Cinesorriso Imperia, the festival dedicated to comedy and the languages of contemporary humour, was officially presented in the Commission Hall of the Municipality of Imperia. The festival will take place from 12 to 14 March 2026 at the Teatro Cavour.

The festival was created with the aim of bringing the smile back to the centre of cinematic storytelling, fostering a dialogue between cinema and new media through film screenings and public encounters.

Among the award recipients are Angela Finocchiaro, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, Matilde Gioli, awarded Best Actress, and Paolo Calabresi, awarded Best Actor of the festival. The Best First Feature Award will be presented to Greta Scarano for her directorial debut La vita da grandi, which will be screened at the festival with the participation of its lead actor Yuri Tuci.

The artistic direction is entrusted to Claudio Napoli for the Cinema section and Alessandro Arcodia for the New Media section, dedicated to new forms of comedy born on digital platforms. Among the scheduled events is the talk “Comedy among the algorithms. Creators and new forms of online humour”, featuring Emma Galeotti, Cristiana Mecozzi, Davide Magnaghi and Emanuela Cappello.

The festival will also host a special conversation curated by journalist and President of the David di Donatello Awards, Piera Detassis, in dialogue with Matilde Gioli and Paolo Calabresi.

Among the faces of the festival is also content creator Gaia Sidoni, who will guide the audience through the festival talks and meetings.

Cinesorriso Imperia is the result of the collaboration between the Municipality of Imperia and the International Humour Salon Association.

Discover the festival programme.