{
    "title": "Two Belgian films compete for Palme d'Or as Cannes Film Festival kicks off",
    "modified_at": "2026-05-12 19:49:21",
    "published_at": "2026-05-12 19:49:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/two-belgian-films-compete-for-palme-dor-as-cannes-film-festival-kicks-off",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/MBGd",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "two-belgian-films-compete-for-palme-dor-as-cannes-film-festival-kicks-off",
    "body": "<p><strong>The 79th Cannes Film Festival opened on Tuesday evening with two Belgian films in the running for the Palme d&#039;Or: &quot;Coward&quot;, the new film by director Lukas Dhont, and &quot;Notre Salut&quot;, a Belgian production by Emmanuel Marre. </strong></p><p>Dhont is no stranger to the festival. His 2018 debut &quot;Girl&quot; won multiple awards at Cannes, and &quot;Close&quot; earned him the Grand Prix in 2022. His new film &quot;Coward&quot;, set during the First World War, was selected at the very last minute: festival director Thierry Fr&eacute;maux revealed in early April that the jury only saw the film the day before the shortlist was announced.</p><p>&quot;Notre Salut&quot; by Emmanuel Marre - a Belgian production by Michigan Films supported by the French Community - is also in the main competition. Marre, who lives and works in Brussels, draws on the story of his own great-grandfather during the Second World War.</p><p>Several Belgian co-production will also be shown at the festival, including &quot;Parallel Tales&quot; by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and &quot;Sanguine&quot; by French director Marion Le Corroller. The Franco-Belgian co-production &quot;La Venus electrique&quot; by Pierre Salvadori opened the festival on Tuesday night.</p><p>The jury is chaired this year by South Korean director Park Chan-wook, known for &quot;Oldboy&quot;. Alongside him sits director Laura Wandel, marking the first Belgian jury presence at the festival since 2004. She is joined by, among others, Hollywood star Demi Moore, Chinese director Chlo&eacute; Zhao (&quot;Nomadland&quot; and &quot;Hamnet&quot;) and Swedish actor Stellan Skarsg&aring;rd.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><sup>PHOTO &copy; Sameer AL-DOUMY / AFP</sup></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-751e9aab-b58c-45e7-8762-45ef89eca454\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgian-director-laura-wandel-sits-on-cannes-film-festival-jury-alongside-demi-moore\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Ffe9ec676-dc5d-48c5-9b4f-832ba5794137%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=3841d1557e8cb96354bce71625f4e504)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgian-director-laura-wandel-sits-on-cannes-film-festival-jury-alongside-demi-moore\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"751e9aab-b58c-45e7-8762-45ef89eca454\"\n           >\n                Belgian director Laura Wandel sits on Cannes Film Festival jury alongside Demi Moore            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                Belgian director Laura Wandel will sit on the jury of the 79th Cannes Film Festival alongside Hollywood star Demi Moore, Chinese director Chlo\u00e9...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fbelgian-director-laura-wandel-sits-on-cannes-film-festival-jury-alongside-demi-moore&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<div id=\"bookmark-4ec63b93-e032-4f16-bad8-a8d7139ba489\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/coward-by-lukas-dhont-in-running-for-palme-dor-at-cannes-film-festival#header-love-and-death\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fa51d2a3b-5187-410b-aab2-560c9d83305d%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=4ef4a20842a7be7f24c97f498bfab9db)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/coward-by-lukas-dhont-in-running-for-palme-dor-at-cannes-film-festival#header-love-and-death\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"4ec63b93-e032-4f16-bad8-a8d7139ba489\"\n           >\n                Coward by Lukas Dhont in running for Palme d\u2019Or at Cannes Film Festival            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                The new film by Belgian director Lukas Dhont, Coward, has been selected for the prestigious Palme d\u2019Or competition at the Cannes Film Festival.            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fcoward-by-lukas-dhont-in-running-for-palme-dor-at-cannes-film-festival&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n",
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    "links": [
        {
            "description": "Belgian director Laura Wandel sits on Cannes Film Festival jury alongside Demi Moore",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgian-director-laura-wandel-sits-on-cannes-film-festival-jury-alongside-demi-moore"
        },
        {
            "description": "Coward by Lukas Dhont in running for Palme d\u2019Or at Cannes Film Festival",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/coward-by-lukas-dhont-in-running-for-palme-dor-at-cannes-film-festival#header-love-and-death"
        }
    ],
    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
    },
    "format_version": 5
}