07/07/2005

Shooting has finished after eight zeeks of work in Basse-Normandie on Le passager de l’été, the first feature from Florence Moncorgé-Gabin, daughter of the famous actor Jean Gabin. Originally called Le dernier harnais, the film boasts an excellent cast, including two sure-fire French box office attractions: Catherine Frot and Mathilde Seigner. Also on the bill are Laura Smet, Grégori Derangère, François Berléand and Samuel Le Bihan. Produced by Alain Terzian pour Alter Films and Christine Gozlan for Thelma Film, Le passager de l’été, from a screenplay by the director, retraces in flash-back a story that unfolds in a village in the extreme west of the Cotentin peninsula.

Played by Samuel Le Bihan, the character Pierre Gaillard, on the death of his mother in1986, investigates the identity of his father. A search that will bring back memories of events in 1950 on a farm run by Monique (Catherine Frot) whose daughter Jeanne, (Laura Smet) village schoolteacher, dreams of leaving town. But the two women will come to blows over Joseph (Grégori Derangère), a wandering tramp. The local mayor (François Berléand) and Jeanne's confidente, the pharmacist Angèle (Mathilde Seigner) orbit the trio. A sentimental drama, Le passager de l’été, exploring too the theme of rural change as it confronts modernity, benefited from co-production aid from StudioCanal (which handles international sales, theatre and video) and from France 3 Cinéma. With an expected release in 2006, French distribution will be in the hands of Mars Distribution .

(Translated from French)