Lukas Dhont’s ‘Coward’: First Look

A first look photo from Lukas Dhont’s Coward, the Belgian director’s latest feature headed to Cannes in competition, was released on Thursday by The Match Factory.

“I am deeply honored to once again take part in the competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Coward is the work of many and my most ambitious project yet. A film about love and death, creation and destruction. A film about survival and how, sometimes, even in darkness, something beautiful manages to grow. Coward is a tribute to those who, throughout the centuries, were sent to fight—and those who tried to escape it at any cost,” Dhont said in a statement on news of his return to Cannes.

The first photo for the First World War drama (shown above) reveals Pierre, a young Belgian soldier, as he grapples with cowardice and heroism on the battlefield. Behind the frontlines, Pierre meets Francis, who is asked to find a way to boost morale, according to a synopsis from the producers.

After delivering back-to-back Cannes darlings with the Camera d’Or winner Girl (2018) and Grand Prix-winning Close (2022), Dhont is returning to Cannes with his third feature and his first period piece. Coward reunites the director with longtime co-writer Angelo Tijssens and is produced by Michiel Dhont under the Reunion banner founded by the Dhont brothers.

Coward is also produced by Lumen, Topkapi Films & Versus (Opus), as part of a co-production with Cine+ OCS, France 2 Cinéma, VTM, RTBF, Proximus, BeTV & Orange. In the Benelux, the film is distributed by Lumière and in France by Diaphana Distribution.

The Match Factory is handling international sales.