Le Maudit Festival
Maudits cinema, passionate and incandescent in Grenoble
About Maudit Festival
Formerly Festival des Maudits Films (2009-2019), Le Maudit Festival is a retrospective film festival organized annually in January in Grenoble by the volunteer association Terreur Nocturne. It champions passionate, dazzling, and uninhibited cinema, long relegated to the fringes of official cinephilia, by showcasing rare, little-known, or alternative works to classic cinema, across all genres, eras, and origins, with a preference for film projection.
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Le Maudit Festival: An Off-the-Beaten-Path Cinephile Adventure in Grenoble
Each year, at the end of January, the Maudit Festival transforms Grenoble into an unmissable event for lovers of genre cinema, cursed films, and forgotten works. Born in 2009 under the name Festival des Maudits Films, created by Karel Quistrebert with the support of Pierrette Amiot, director of the Ciné-Club de Grenoble, the festival experienced a rebirth in 2020 when the association Terreur Nocturne took over its organization, giving it its current name.
Passionate, Dazzling, and Incandescent Cinema
Le Maudit Festival champions cinema that has long been relegated to the margins of official cinephilia: fantasy films, horror, science fiction, independent cinema, B-movies, Italian gialli, experimental cinema, blaxploitation, queer cinema, and unclassifiable works. The programming spans all eras, genres, and geographical origins, offering audiences the chance to discover rare films on the big screen, often never shown in theaters, sometimes on 35mm film prints.
A Demanding Thematic Program
Each edition is built around a unifying theme that runs through the entire program. The themes explored tackle bold and subversive subjects: animals in fantasy cinema, marginality, serial killers, deviant obsessions, queer cinema, and communities on the fringes of society. This thematic approach allows for connections to be drawn between works from very different eras and origins, revealing unsuspected correspondences.
Beyond Screenings
The festival is not limited to film screenings. It also offers guest encounters, conferences, exhibitions, a short film competition, "Petites Formes" (Small Forms) screenings with free admission, grindhouse double feature nights, midnight screenings, and off-site events such as role-playing game nights or festive launches. The program thus extends over a full week, from Tuesday to Sunday, in several partner theaters in the Grenoble area.
A Festival Driven by Volunteer Passion
Le Maudit Festival is entirely organized by the association Terreur Nocturne, composed exclusively of cinema-loving volunteers. This associative model guarantees complete programming freedom and an authenticity that defines the festival's signature. Partnerships with the Cinémathèque de Grenoble, the Ciné-Club de Grenoble, the city of Grenoble, and the department of Isère ensure strong local roots and access to rare prints from heritage collections.
A Collective and Singular Experience
Le Maudit Festival conceives cinema as both a collective and singular experience. Each screening is a moment of sharing and discovery, in a friendly and passionate atmosphere. The festival attracts around a thousand spectators per edition, regulars and newcomers alike, united by a taste for the strange, the beautiful, and the disturbing.
Maudit Festival — edition 2026
The 7th edition of Maudit Festival took place from January 27 to February 1, 2026 in Grenoble, under the theme "On the Margins." The program honored marginal characters and communities in cinema, exploring serial killers, deviant obsessions, queer cinema, and subversive aesthetics, with 35mm screenings and partnerships with the Cinémathèque de Grenoble.
7th Edition — On the Margins
The 2026 edition of Maudit Festival explored the theme of marginality, celebrating characters and communities "on the margins" that populate the dark corners of cinema. Strange, subversive, sometimes misunderstood cinema that questions social norms and celebrates unconventional aesthetics.
Opening on 35mm Film
The festival opened its doors with Breaking the Waves by Lars von Trier (1996), screened in its 35mm film version at Cinéma Juliet Berto. This radical and moving masterpiece, winner of the Palme d'Or Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, set the tone for an edition dedicated to transgression and raw emotion.
Thematic Nights with the Cinémathèque de Grenoble
Two exceptional evenings were programmed in partnership with the Cinémathèque de Grenoble. The Serial Killers night on Thursday featured Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer by John McNaughton (1986), a chilling and uncompromising portrait, followed by Schizophrenia (Angst) by Gerald Kargl (1983), a suffocating dive into the mind of an Austrian killer.
The Paraphilias night on Friday presented three films exploring deviant sexual obsessions: Crash by David Cronenberg (1996), screened in a 35mm print from the Cinémathèque's collection, Secretary by Steven Shainberg (2002), and a midnight screening of Kissed by Lynne Stopkewich (1996), in a 35mm print loaned by the Cinémathèque de Nice.
Blaxploitation and Queer Cinema
The festival also featured a blaxploitation night with Ganja & Hess by Bill Gunn (1973), a radical African-American vampire film accompanied by a discussion, as well as a queer cinema program on Saturday with But I'm a Cheerleader by Jamie Babbit (1999), a satirical comedy about conversion therapies, and Hairspray by John Waters (1988), an iconoclastic and jubilant pop comedy celebrating difference.
Off-Site Events
Prior to the festival, several events enlivened Grenoble: a launch party on January 9, a role-playing game night on January 14, screenings, and an exhibition starting January 23. The festival unfolded in four partner venues: Cinéma Juliet Berto, Mon Ciné, Le Ciel, and Cinéma Le Club.
Programme Maudit Festival 2026
Program — 2026 Edition
Pre-Festival
- Friday, January 9 — Launch Party
- Wednesday, January 14 — Role-Playing Game Night
- Friday, January 23 — Screenings and Exhibition Opening
Main Festival
- Tuesday, January 27, 7 PM — Breaking the Waves (Lars von Trier, 1996) — 35mm — Cinéma Juliet Berto
- Wednesday, January 28, 7 PM — Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn, 1973) + discussion — Cinéma Juliet Berto
- Thursday, January 29, 7 PM — Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (John McNaughton, 1986) — Cinémathèque de Grenoble — Cinéma Juliet Berto
- Thursday, January 29, 9:30 PM — Schizophrenia / Angst (Gerald Kargl, 1983) — Cinémathèque de Grenoble — Cinéma Juliet Berto
- Friday, January 30, 7 PM — Crash (David Cronenberg, 1996) — 35mm — Cinémathèque de Grenoble — Cinéma Juliet Berto
- Friday, January 30, 9:30 PM — Secretary (Steven Shainberg, 2002) — Cinéma Juliet Berto
- Friday, January 30, midnight — Kissed (Lynne Stopkewich, 1996) — 35mm — Cinéma Juliet Berto
- Saturday, January 31 — But I'm a Cheerleader (Jamie Babbit, 1999) — Cinéma Juliet Berto
- Saturday, January 31 — Hairspray (John Waters, 1988) — Cinéma Juliet Berto
- Sunday, February 1 — Closing Screenings — Mon Ciné / Le Ciel
Highlights Maudit Festival 2026
Highlights of the 2026 Edition
- Theme: On the Margins — marginal characters and communities celebrated through cinema
- 35mm Opening — Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves in film print
- Cinémathèque Nights — two thematic evenings, Serial Killers and Paraphilias, in partnership with the Cinémathèque de Grenoble
- Three 35mm Film Screenings — Breaking the Waves, Crash, and Kissed
- Queer Cinema — But I'm a Cheerleader and John Waters' Hairspray
- Blaxploitation — Ganja & Hess with discussion
- Four Partner Venues — Juliet Berto, Mon Ciné, Le Ciel, and Le Club
- 7th Edition of the festival under the auspices of Terreur Nocturne
Prices Maudit Festival 2026
Practical information — Maudit Festival
Practical Information
Dates and Times
Le Maudit Festival takes place annually during the last week of January, from Tuesday to Sunday. Screenings are held in the evening starting at 7 PM, with midnight screenings on Fridays and Saturdays. "Petites Formes" (Small Forms) special screenings are offered during the day on Friday (12 PM-2 PM), and a young audience screening takes place on Sunday morning at 10:30 AM.
Screening Venues
- Cinéma Juliet Berto (main venue) — Passage du Palais de Justice, 38000 Grenoble. Room accessible to people with reduced mobility.
- Mon Ciné — 10 avenue Ambroise Croizat, 38400 Saint-Martin-d'Hères.
- Le Ciel — 2 rue Général Marchand, 38000 Grenoble.
- Cinéma Le Club — Grenoble (some editions).
Prices
- Full price: €7 (Cinéma Juliet Berto) / €5 (Le Ciel)
- Reduced price: €5.50
- Young audience screening: €3.50
- 6-screening pass: €30 (maximum 2 tickets per screening)
- Grindhouse night (double feature): €12
- "Petites Formes" screenings: free admission
Ticketing
Tickets are available for online pre-sale via the festival's social media (Facebook and Instagram) and on-site on the evening of the screenings, subject to availability. It is recommended to purchase tickets in advance for the most anticipated screenings.
Access
By tramway: Cinéma Juliet Berto is accessible via tram lines A and B, "Verdun – Préfecture" or "Notre-Dame – Musée" stops, a few minutes' walk from the Passage du Palais de Justice.
By bus: Several TAG bus lines serve the Grenoble city center.
By car: Paid parking nearby: Palais de Justice parking, Notre-Dame parking. Grenoble is accessible via the A480 and A48 highways.
By train: Grenoble station, then tram lines A or B towards the city center (approx. 15 minutes).
Accessibility
Cinéma Juliet Berto, the festival's main venue, is accessible to people with reduced mobility. For any accessibility questions at other venues, contact the Terreur Nocturne association via the contact form on the website.
Age Restrictions
Certain screenings are prohibited for those under 12 or under 16 years of age due to the nature of the films shown (violence, sexual content). Restrictions are indicated in the program for each screening.
Contact
For any questions, contact the Terreur Nocturne association by email at [email protected] or via the contact form on the website lemauditfestival.com.
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Where does it take place — Maudit Festival
Cinéma Juliet Berto
Passage du Palais de Justice, 38000 Grenoble