The Pass

The Pass is a 2016 film starring Russell Tovey and Arinze Kene. It was directed by Ben A. Williams, based on a play by John Donnelly. The film is about a relationship between two men who are English football players, and how their lives unfold over the course of a decade. The film was nominated at the 2017 BAFTA Awards, in the category of Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for John Donnelly and Ben Williams. Plot Nineteen-year-olds Jason and Ade have been in the Academy of a famous London football club since they were eight years old. It's the night before their first-ever game for the first team – a Champions League match – and they're in a hotel room in Romania. They should be sleeping, but they're over-excited. They skip, fight, mock each other, prepare their kit, watch a teammate's sex tape. And then, out of nowhere, one of them kisses the other. The impact of this 'pass' reverberates through the next ten years of their lives – a decade of fame and failure, secrets and lies, in a sporting world where image is everything. Cast Russell Tovey as Jason Arinze Kene as Ade Lisa McGrillis as Lyndsey Nico Mirallegro as Harry Rory J. Saper as Bellboy Reception As an independent feature, the film received a limited screening, primarily being shown around the world at film festivals. The film had a special screening at London's BFI Flare Film Festival, in correspondence with their celebration of LGBT cinema.