The Positive Cinema Prize at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival was awarded to Lukas Dhont for his film Coward.
Created in 2016, the Positive Cinema Week is an initiative of the Festival de Cannes that celebrates a committed and inspiring cinema, created to reflect together on a better world. This year again, the jury had to evaluate the work that they considered the most positive among the films in competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2026.
The Positive Cinema Prize, created by economist and writer Jacques Attali and Sam Bobino, the president of La Baule Film Festival, rewarded once again this year a work that inspires hope and resilience: Coward by Lukas Dhont, presented in the official competition of this 79th Cannes Film Festival.
Synopsis: The young soldier Pierre wants to prove himself on the front during World War I. Behind the lines, he meets Francis, tasked with boosting the troops’ morale.
Already rewarded at Cannes for his film Girl (Positive Cinema Prize 2018), and then for his feature film Close, Lukas Dhont “confirms with Coward the uniqueness of a committed, delicate, and universal work, making cinema a space for dialogue, empathy, and human reconciliation,” as stated by the Positive Cinema Week team.
