Belgian WWI film ‘Coward’ inspires new exhibition at Royal Army Museum

Costumes, props, archival footage and clips from the Belgian film Coward all go on display in the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces a special pop-up exhibition from 7 November.

The temporary show marks the second collaboration for the Brussels museum and Lukas Dhont after the film director sought inspiration for his World War One-set queer romance in the rich collections of the Cinquantenaire Park institution.

During the fiction’s development and production, Dhont carried out historical research at the museum, which is part of Belgium’s War Heritage Institute.

It is this original source material that forms the central part of the upcoming show presented in the museum’s '14-'18 room, accompanied by objects and artefacts that frame the film within the broader history of the conflict.

Since 1923, the Army Museum has built a unique collection of archive material from the Great War that encompasses military files, posters, maps and photos from the period.

This material provides visitors with a rare insight into the daily life of soldiers; one of the main themes of Dhont’s third film.

Coward, which premiered in Cannes, has won international accolades for its depiction of a secret love affair amid the brutality of war. Since going on general release in Belgium on 21 October, it has topped the box office, attracting an audience of more than 25,000.

The museum is hosting an exclusive screening of the film Coward on 10 November. Tickets are already on sale for the event that is limited to 100 people.

Wartime escapism and romance

If the horrors of the first world war provide the backdrop, Coward centres on the burgeoning relationship between two soldiers, Francis and Pierre, who perform in their regiment’s amateur theatre troupe.

Designed to boost troops’ morale, this motley crew are excused active service for one reason or another and so face varying levels of accusations of cowardice. At one point, the pair consider deserting, but are they ‘brave’ enough to risk it?

Dhont’s examination of the notion of cowardice, while never actually referring to the title word, contributes to its anti-war premise.

Said Dhont of his third feature: “A film about survival and how, sometimes, even in the darkness, something beautiful manages to emerge. Coward is a tribute to those who, throughout the centuries, have been forced to fight. And to those who tried, at all costs, to escape it.”

The film won the best actor prize at Cannes this year for its relatively unknown leads, Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne.

Dhont (pictured above) made history by becoming the first Flemish director to have three of his feature films selected for the prestigious festival’s official competition, the Palme d’Or.

His lauded 2018 debut Girl won Cannes’ Caméra d’Or for best first feature as well as the Queer Palm. Meanwhile his second film, Close, was awarded the Grand Prize in Cannes in 2022.

As for Coward’s Oscar bid, nominations for Best International Feature Film will be narrowed down to a shortlist of 15 titles on 15 December, with the official nominations to be announced on 21 January. The Academy Awards ceremony will take place on the night of 14 March.

Coward (screening at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces)
10 November, 17.00 (film at 18.00)
Esplanade, Cinquantenaire Park
Etterbeek

Tickets: €35 (including drink and snack) and guided tour of the exhibition after the screening

Photos: (main image) ©CDOC-WHI; ©CDOC-WHI; ©Kris Dewitte; ©Reunion/Lumiere; Lukas Dhont ©Thomas Nolf/ Zeb Daemen