Lukas Dhont's 'Coward' Opens Cannes Competition
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Coward is Lukas Dhont’s third feature film, set on the Western Front of World War I and focusing on a romance between two Belgian soldiers.
- Lukas Dhont expands his exploration of queer identity by placing it in a historical war context, a shift from his earlier films “Girl” (2018) and “Close” (2022).
- Frank van den Eeden serves as cinematographer, delivering meticulous lighting and framing that heighten the film’s visceral battlefield scenes.
- Jack Sidey is an executive producer on “Coward,” previously producing the queer soldier drama “Moffie.”
- Cannes selected “Coward” for its competition lineup, marking the film’s high‑profile debut on the international festival circuit.
Why it matters: The film's Cannes debut gives Dhont broader mainstream exposure and validates queer narratives in war cinema, while audiences gain a nuanced love story amid battlefield spectacle, potentially expanding market demand for inclusive period dramas.
