MUBI has released the official trailer for Coward, the new film from Belgian director Lukas Dhont (Close). It opens in theaters on December 25, 2026.
The story
It's 1916, on the Belgian front of the First World War. Pierre, a young soldier, arrives at the front lines and meets Francis, who has a plan to put on a theatrical revue for the troops. Together with their comrades they set about staging the show as a way of pushing back against the horror around them, and for Pierre it opens up a whole new world. At its heart it's a love story set against the violence of war.
Who's in it
Emmanuel Macchia, in his first acting role, plays Pierre, and Valentin Campagne plays Francis. The two shared the Best Actor award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, where the film premiered in the main competition in May. The ensemble around them includes Boris Bouchat, Mathieu Carpentier, Anaëlle Fournier, Mistral Guidotti, Jef Jacobs and Tuur Verelst.
Behind the camera
Dhont wrote the film with Angelo Tijssens, and Michiel Dhont and Juliette Schrameck produce. It's a Belgian, French and Dutch co-production in French and Dutch, and it has been chosen as Belgium's entry for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards.
Distributed in North America by MUBI.