Lukas Dhont's film Coward selected to represent Belgium at Oscars

Lukas Dhont's film Coward is Belgium's entry for the Oscars after being selected by an independent jury of film industry professionals, the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF) has announced.

The film is competing in the Best International Feature Film category of the 99th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Dhont said he was “very honoured,” following the selection.

Coward won the best actor prize at Cannes this year for its relatively unknown leads, Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne.

The selection marks the third time a film by Dhont (pictured above) has been submitted by Belgium to the Oscars.

His lauded 2018 debut Girl failed to make the final nomination cut despite winning Cannes’ Caméra d’Or for best first feature as well as the Queer Palm. Meanwhile, Close, which won the Grand Prize in Cannes in 2022,  was nominated for best international feature at the prestigious American film competition.

Coward is a historical drama set during the first world war that recounts the story of young soldier Pierre, who wants to prove himself on the front lines. The young recruit meets Francis, whose mission is to boost troop morale with impromptu performances. As war rages, they both try to escape reality, however fleetingly.

The nominations for Best International Feature Film will be narrowed down to a shortlist of 15 titles on 15 December, with the official nominations to be announced on January 21. The Academy Awards ceremony will take place on the night of 14 March.

Coward goes on general release in Belgium on 21 October.

Photos: Coward ©Reunion/Lumiere; Lukas Dhont ©Thomas Nolf/ Zeb Daemen