The Monte-Carlo Television Festival unveiled its 65th edition at a press conference held at the Médiathèque Caroline in Monaco on Tuesday, confirming a line-up that spans honorary awards for Kurt Russell and Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, the international premiere of The Walking Dead: Dead City season three, and jury chairs drawn from across the global television industry.
Held under the High Patronage of Prince Albert II, the Festival runs from 12th to 16th June at the Grimaldi Forum. Executive Director Cécile Menoni framed the anniversary as both a celebration and a statement of intent. “This 65th edition embodies both our commitment to our heritage and our determination to fully embrace the ongoing transformation of television,” she said. “More than ever, the Festival is a place for encounters, discoveries and recognition of the talents shaping the stories of tomorrow.”
Opening night
The Festival opens on 12th June with the international premiere of the first two episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City season three, produced by AMC Studios, in the presence of stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan alongside showrunner Seth Hoffman. The series, which sees Maggie and Negan attempt to build the first thriving community in post-apocalyptic Manhattan, is due to air on AMC and AMC+ in summer 2026.
“This is the best edition of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival since I began running it in 2012,” Laurent Puons, General Manager of Monaco Mediax, told Monaco Life. “The line-up will make this edition truly special.”
Honours and awards
Dame Kristin Scott Thomas will receive the Crystal Nymph Award in recognition of a career spanning film, television and theatre. Kurt Russell will be presented with the same honour for a body of work that has left a lasting mark on global entertainment.
Spanish actress Ester Expósito, known for her breakout role in Netflix’s Elite, receives the International Golden Nymph for Most Promising Talent, as does British actor Matthew Broome, whose recent work in My Fault: London and The Buccaneers has established him as one of the more closely watched young performers in the industry. French television institution Michel Drucker will be presented with the Honorary Nymph Award for six decades of contribution to the medium.
The Golden Nymph Awards Ceremony takes place on 16th June and will be broadcast live on TV Monaco.
Public programme and familiar faces
All fiction nominees will be screened at the Grimaldi Forum and are open to the public. Out-of-competition screenings include Les Derniers Jours de Charles Baudelaire, directed by Arielle Dombasle, presented with the cast in attendance.
Fan events will bring cast members from Un Si Grand Soleil, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless to the Principality, alongside Zeeko Zaki from FBI and Nick Gehlfuss from CIA.
“We are an international festival, but we have always had a very strong relationship with American television, and each year we welcome a great deal of American talent — because that is exactly what the fans want,” Puons told Monaco Life.
The week will also see the world premiere of a 52-minute documentary, Monte-Carlo, a Festival and 65 Years of Television, produced by Theorem and TV Monaco, tracing the event’s history from its founding by Prince Rainier III in 1961 to the streaming era.
Industry forum
The Business Forum returns as the Festival’s professional platform, with sessions on artificial intelligence in creative workflows, audience fragmentation, the creator economy and the economics of premium television. A masterclass led by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer Tom Jennings will focus on factual storytelling, and the second season of the ‘Tell Me A Story!’ pitch contest concludes with its finale during the week.
Laurent Puons, General Manager of Monaco Mediax, said the Festival remained “a unique point of convergence for talent, creators, broadcasters and audiences,” adding that the 65th edition reflected the organisation’s ambition “to support the transformation of the industry while celebrating excellence and creativity on a global scale.”
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Main photo credit: Cassandra Tanti