An independent jury of professionals from the Belgian film industry has selected ‘Coward’ as the official entry for the 99th Academy Awards, the American film awards better known as the Oscars. The film has been entered in the Best International Feature Film category. Dhont says he is “deeply honoured”.
‘Coward’ is Dhont’s third feature film. His previous films, ‘Girl’ and ‘Close’, were also submitted by Belgium for the Oscars. ‘Close’ was ultimately nominated for the statuette, but lost out to Edward Berger’s German war drama ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ (‘Im Westen nichts Neues’).
Dhont’s latest film is set during the First World War. Pierre (played by Emmanuel Macchia) arrives at the front in 1917 as a recruit, driven to prove himself in battle. He meets Francis (Valentin Campagne), who tries to keep troop morale high with improvised shows. As the war rages relentlessly, they both try to escape reality, if only for a moment.
On 15 December, the entries for Best International Feature Film will be narrowed down to a shortlist of fifteen titles. The official nominations will be announced on 21 January. The Oscars will be presented on the night of 14–15 March.
'Coward' will be released in Belgian cinemas on 21 October. On 7 October, the film will have its Benelux premiere at the Film Fest Gent film festival.
