Belgium Picks Dhont's 'Coward' for Oscar Race
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- Belgium selected Lukas Dhont's 'Coward' for the international feature film race at the 99th Academy Awards, marking Dhont's third Oscar submission for the country.
- 'Coward' won the best actor prize at Cannes for Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne; set on the Belgian WWI front, the film follows soldier Pierre and theatrical performer Francis seeking escape from battlefield brutality.
- Previous Dhont submissions — 'Girl' (2018) failed to make the final nomination cut, while 'Close' (2022) was nominated but lost to 'All Quiet on the Western Front.'
- Mubi acquired distribution rights for major territories including the U.S., U.K., Spain, Italy and Latin America; Diaphana releases the film in France on Nov. 18, with Mubi's North American release set for Dec. 25.
- The Match Factory handles international sales; the film continues its festival run at Toronto, San Sebastian and BFI London, produced by Michiel Dhont for The Reunion alongside Versus, Lumen and Topkapi Films.
Why it matters: Dhont has now had three Belgium Oscar submissions — two near-misses without a win. 'Coward' arrives with Cannes best actor hardware and Mubi distribution locked across the U.K., U.S., Spain, Italy and Latin America, giving it the commercial footprint most international submissions lack.
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