On-sale for VTIFF Members now, General Public on-sale is 10/6 at 10:00 A.M.
Become a member anytime!
Winner, Best Actors (Joint Award), 2026 Cannes Film Festival
Lukas Dhont’s World War I ops Coward has the expected scenes of wartime horror, but it’s probably the most tender movie ever made about that war, countering its time in the trenches with a touching love story. Quiet, strapping Pierre (Emmanual Macchia) is a farm boy who can’t deny a growing attraction to Francis (Valentin Campagne), a tailor’s son who stages revues to entertain the troops… the revues themselves are quite fantastic. Both actors are tremendous, their attraction to each palpable—their shared award as Best Actor at Cannes was well-deserved. It’s another success for Dhont (Girl, Close) a chronicler of LGBTQ resistance in oppressive societies. He goes bigger here, weaving massive set pieces into his love story, while examining the inherently gay foundations of wartime camaraderie itself. Beautifully photographed, masterfully staged, well acted, and deeply felt, Coward is a triumph. ~SM