A fiery English-language indie drama set in the South of France, Passing Through, the award-winning debut feature by writer and director David Walter Hall, will have its French premiere at Cinéma Le Travelling in Agde on 25th August, in English with French subtitles, followed by an in-person Q&A with the director.
The film was shot in and around the town of Agde in Occitanie, and tells the story of an Australian couple, Tom and Iona, who have rashly upped sticks and moved to France, only months after meeting. All is well until Tom’s estranged son turns up unannounced, travelling with his French girlfriend, and old wounds are quickly reopened.
View the trailer at https://youtu.be/FZetgha_sDs.
The film includes scenes shot in the coeur de la ville (old town) area of Agde, where much of the action is set, as well as the beach at Grau d’Agde, on Mont St. Loup, in restaurants along the Hérault river, and in the hills near Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.
In one scene the characters are invited to a street party organised by a local gypsy family, where they eat paella and dance with the locals to rumba music played by local musicians, Tony and Nathanael Patrac. This scene was created and organised with the help of Thierry Patrac, a prominent member of the local gypsy community, who also acts in the film.
The filmmakers have created a music video based on this scene, which can be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/panMhyqtaDs.
Olivier-Award-winning actor Mark Little stars in the film alongside Lilit Lesser (Princess Mary, BBC’s Wolf Hall), Sam Baker Jones (DC Liam Payne, ITV’s DI Ray) and Angela Koo, who has worked with the film’s director in a string of stage productions.
The film tackles age-old themes of family and forgiveness, and also explores the legacy of childhood sexual abuse on adult survivors.
Passing Through won a number of awards during its festival run including at the Ramsgate International Film and TV Festival, where it won Best First Feature, awarded by veteran actor Brenda Blethyn, who said, “Passing Through by David Walter Hall is beautifully shot. […] The performances, led by Mark Little, are faultless and the beautifully nuanced direction from David Walter Hall, who also wrote the screenplay, is really impressive. There’s a great soundtrack too from Jonny Phillips.”
Made on a small budget with passion and perseverance, Passing Through was produced by an international team led by US producers Patrick Richter and Yajaira Marie Quinto, and is distributed by Indigo Entertainment. It will be available to view on streaming services at a date to be announced.
The screening will take place at 18:00 on 25th August 2025 at Cinéma Le Travelling, Rue des Tuileries, 34300 Agde, France. Tickets will cost €8, available on the door or online at passingthrough.eventbrite.fr.
More information can be found at www.passingthroughmovie.com.
–ENDS–
Notes
The director is known as Dave (rather than David), and only uses his full and middle name, David Walter Hall, on credits. His preferred pronouns are he/him.
Read this in French here.
Contact
Dave is available for interviews! Please email media@passingthroughmovie.com to set up a time to talk or call or WhatsApp 07714954705. Dave can be found on Instagram at @davidwalterhall.
Photographs for publication
Stills
For a more extensive press kit, with 60 stills click here.
BTS
For behind the scenes images click here.
Headshots
