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Lukas Dhont’s “Coward,” which won the best actor prize at Cannes for Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, will represent Belgium in the international feature film race at the 99th Academy Awards.
The selection marks
the third time Belgium has submitted a film by Dhont to the Oscars. His 2018 debut “Girl” – which won Cannes’ Caméra d’Or for best first feature as well as the Queer Palm — was Belgium’s submission, but failed to make the final nomination cut; while “Close” – which won Cannes’ Grand Prize in 2022 — was nominated for best international feature at the Oscars, ultimately losing to “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
Set on the Belgian front during World War I, “Coward” follows Pierre, a young soldier who arrives in 1916 determined to prove himself in battle, and Francis, who stages theatrical performances behind the lines to keep up the troops’ morale. As the violence intensifies, the two men search for ways to escape the brutality surrounding them, if only briefly.
The movie was lauded at Cannes where it was bought by Mubi for a number of major territories, including the U.S., U.K., Spain, Italy and Latin America.
“I am truly honored that we get to represent Belgium at the Oscars this year with ‘Coward.’ We look forward to sharing our film with the world and with Belgian audiences,” said Dhont, who has become one of Belgium’s most internationally acclaimed filmmakers.”‘Coward’ celebrates togetherness in broken times, connection in a fragmented world. We hope that ‘Coward,’ which above all celebrates the power of the heart, will offer a moment of tenderness and comfort,” Dhont added.
Dhont once again collaborated on “Coward” with several members of his longtime creative team, including co-writer Angelo Tijssens and cinematographer Frank Van den Eeden, among others.
The film was produced by Michiel Dhont for The Reunion, in co-production with Versus in Belgium, Juliette Schrameck at Lumen in France and Topkapi Films in the Netherlands. The Match Factory handles international sales.
The film will continue its festival run in the coming weeks, notably at Toronto, San Sebastian and BFI London Film Festival. Diaphana will release it in France on Nov. 18, while Mubi is set to release it in North America in December.
