#FIRSTLOOK: RELEASE DATE FOR “COWARD”

MUBI, the global distributor, streaming service and production company, is delighted to announce the Canadian theatrical release date for Lukas Dhont’s (Academy Award® nominee Close) latest feature, Coward, alongside the official artwork. Coward will be released in cinemas across Canada on December 25, 2026 and has been selected as Belgium’s Official Submission for Best International Feature Film for the 99th Academy Awards®.

The film had its World Premiere in Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne jointly won the Best Actor prize.

Set at the height of World War I in the shadows of the Belgian trenches, Lukas Dhont’s Coward unfolds as an epic, intimate journey of youthful self-discovery through love, art, and survival.

Pierre (Macchia) arrives at the front lines as a young soldier eager to find his footing in a world consumed by violence. Everything changes when he meets Francis (Campagne), a kindred spirit whose vision of staging a front-line theatre show unlocks a world Pierre never knew existed. What begins as a fleeting escape from the harsh reality of the trenches soon blossoms into a tender, emotional love story, anchored by the undeniable chemistry of breakout actors Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne. As the world burns around them, their stage becomes a sanctuary of innocence and devotion.

Coward beautifully explores the fine line between fear and fortitude for soldiers in search of a promised glory, ultimately asking: when the world demands brutality, is walking away for love the truest act of bravery?

Coward marks a reunion for director Lukas Dhont with his key creative collaborators, including co-writer Angelo Tijssens, producer Michiel Dhont, Cinematographer
Frank van den Eeden, composer Valentin Hadjadj, Editor Alain Dessauvage, Production Designer Eve Martin, and Sound Designer Yanna Soentjens. Together they continue the creative partnership that has shaped Dhont’s previous critically acclaimed work (Close, Girl). With Coward, Dhont further cements his reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary European cinema.

COWARD WILL BE RELEASED IN CANADA ON DECEMBER 25, 2026

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#TIFF26: “COWARD” REVIEW

By Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong

In the first World War, Pierre (Emmanuel Macchia), a Belgian soldier, tries to balance the emotional weight of his horrifying position on the front lines with a blossoming romantic connection to Francis (Valentin Campagne), a theatre kid who motivates the troops with songs and dance. Lukas Dhont‘s Coward is a queer coming-of-age WWI movie, and right off the bat I have to give it props for being such a singular fusion of themes and genres. The look and feel of the trenches is agonizingly sharp and evocative, and makes for a stunning contrast with the beauty of the countryside, and the makeshift theatre and performance spaces.

Dhont‘s vision of a young man torn between love and war is inspired, and the story demands a deep, interior performance from his quiet lead. It is so disappointing that Emmanuel Macchia (in his first film), cannot offer that necessary depth. He has two distinct modes of performance–glum and grinning. Both masks are compelling at first, but as Coward unfolds, the limits of Macchia‘s expressions are unavoidable. It’s all too surfacey and repetitive. In the meta-theatrical sequences, he never even tries to embody the roles he’s signed up for, opting instead to stew in sadness. Your mileage may vary of course, as so much of his performance is wordless, and he is aided by a breathtaking period backdrop and a compelling co-star in Campagne. Not to mention–they shared the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. There are jurors out there who vehemently disagree with my take. But in a film about performance and masculinity, I needed a lead to match the complexity of his harrowing world. To my mind, the true star of Coward is that aching world itself–and not so much its central inhabitant.

Coward screens at TIFF ’26:

Sun. Sept 13 at 5:45 PM at TIFF Lightbox

Mon. Sept 14 at 5:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto