All rights acquired for UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Latin America, Australia and new Zealand.

MUBI, the global film distributor, streaming service and production company, has acquired all rights to Lukas Dhont’s Coward for the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. Coward will receive its World Premiere at Cannes Film Festival in Competition this month. MUBI will announce release plans in the near future.
 
Coward is the latest film by Lukas Dhont, following 2022’s Close, which was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards.
 
Coward stars Emmanuel Macchia in his debut film performance as Pierre and Valentin Campagne (Colours of Time, Case 137) as Francis.
 
As the First World War drags on, Pierre, a soldier newly arrived at the front, is eager to prove himself. Behind the lines, he meets Francis, 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.
 
Coward reunites Dhont with many of those in the filmmaking teams of his previous pictures, Girl and Close; co-writer Angelo Tijssens, producer Michiel Dhont, Cinematographer Frank van den Eeden, Eve Martin on Production Design, Music from Valentin Hadjadj, Editor Alain Dessauvage and Sound from Yanna Soentjens.
 
Coward is a production by the Reunion, Lumen, Topkapi Films & Versus (Opus) in co-production with France 2 Cinéma, VTM, RTBF, Proximus, BeTV & Orange. The film was produced in association with The Common Humanity Art Trust and Portobello Productions. The film was made with the essential support of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) of the Flemish Government, the Screen Flanders economic fund, Screen Brussels, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FWB), Wallimage, CINÉ+ OCS, CNC, PICTANOVO Hauts-de-France, Sacem, the Netherlands Film Fund, the Netherlands Film Production Incentive and EURIMAGES, and the participation of France Télivisions.
 
Coward came about with the help of the Tax Shelter Measure of the Belgian Federal Government, Casa Kafka & Lumière Invest.
 
The film is distributed in Benelux by Lumière and in France by Diaphana Distribution.
 
DIRECTOR’S BIO
Lukas’ 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, will have its world premiere at the 79th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival.
 
Recent and upcoming releases for MUBI include Joachim Trier’s BAFTA and Academy Award® winning Sentimental Value, BAFTA-winning My Father’s Shadow, multi Academy Award® and BAFTA nominated The Secret Agent from Kleber de Mendonça Filho, Jafar Panahi’s Academy Award® and BAFTA nominated It Was Just An Accident, Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Lion winner Father Mother Sister Brother, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, Felix Van Groeningen’s Let Love In, Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, and Andrew Haigh’s A Long Winter.