Award-winning 'Coward' by Lukas Dhont opens 53rd Film Fest Gent
1917. As the First World War drags on, Pierre (the acting debut of Emmanuel Macchia), a soldier newly arrived at the front, is eager to prove himself. Behind the lines, he meets Francis (Valentin Campagne), who decides to lift the spirits of his comrades by putting together a theatre show. While the violence continues, both men try to find ways to escape the brutality of war, even if only for a moment.
The film stands out in particular for the vulnerable yet poignant performances by Macchia and Campagne. The chemistry between the two main characters is undeniable, giving the film a lighter, more tender tone than we are used to from classic war films. They were jointly awarded the prestigious Best Actor prize at Cannes.
© Bas Bogaerts"We are delighted to open our 53rd edition with the new film by Lukas Dhont. Coward is an ambitious new step in Lukas’s cinematic universe: a war film, a genre rarely seen in Belgian cinema, through which Lukas further deepens his own visual language. The film tells the story of the search for solace in the beauty of art amidst the horrors of war. A story that, unfortunately, feels painfully relevant once again today — and a search to which we, as a festival, also hope to contribute."
Wim De Witte, program director Film Fest Gent
Lukas Dhont
Lukas’s debut film, Girl, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the official ‘Un Certain Regard’ selection and was awarded the Caméra d’Or. His second film, Close, was selected for the official competition and won the Grand Prix. Furthermore, Close was nominated for an Academy Award in the 'Best International Feature Film' category in 2023. His third film, Coward, had its world premiere at the 79th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, where the two lead actors received the Best Actor award. Girl was the official opening film of Film Fest Gent in 2018, and Close in 2022.
"Ghent is the city to which I always return with love. Film Fest Gent has been of crucial importance to my development as a filmmaker. It's a place that allowed me to discover the many faces of cinema. The team behind Coward and I are therefore incredibly happy and honoured to open this new edition of the festival. We look forward to sharing the film with the Belgian audience soon!"
Lukas Dhont, director Coward
Production
Coward is produced by The Reunion, Lumen, Topkapi Films & Versus Productions, in co-production with France 2 Cinéma, VTM, RTBF, Proximus, BeTV & Orange. The film was produced in collaboration with Portobello Productions, The Common Humanity Art Trust and Léger Productions. The film was created with the essential support of Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (VAF) of the Flemish Government, the economic fund Screen Flanders, Screen Brussels, the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (FWB), Wallimage, CINÉ+ OCS, CNC, PICTANOVO Hauts-de-France, Sacem, het Nederlands Filmfonds, the Netherlands Film Production Incentive and EURIMAGES, and with the participation of France Télévisions. Coward was made with the support of the Belgian Federal Government's Tax Shelter measure, Casa Kafka and Lumière Tax Shelter. The film is distributed in the Benelux by Lumière and in France by Diaphana Distribution.
The film will have its Benelux premiere on Wednesday 7 October at Film Fest Gent and will be released in Belgian cinemas from 21 October 2026 and in the Netherlands from 22 October.