“I was told to grieve for the child he once was”: Christopher Petit, Emma Matthews and Louis Petit on D is for Distance at London Film Festival 2025

Charting the life of their son Louis Petit, who has epilepsy, the directors of D is Distance, who are also his parents, tell his story through an archive of personal footage, which is also narrated throughout by British actress Jodhi May. The heartbreaking account of his journey is bold, heartbreaking and aimed at highlighting this debilitating brain disorder and the walls the family have come up against.

Starting around the age of around 12 years old, Louis started suffering dreadful seizures, which resulted in a wipeout of childhood memories as he got older. The lack of knowledge surrounding his condition, the bureaucracy and the medical inconsistencies become the backbone of bringing his tale to screen, and are emotively conveyed using a mix of home footage with cinematography.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking to Christopher Petit, Emma Matthews and Louis Petit about why they wanted to tell their story, the lengths they have gone to in order to get their son the help that he needs and how they hope the film will shine a light on the complexities of the condition.

Ezelle Alblas

D is for Distance does not have a release date yet.

Read more reviews from our London Film Festival coverage here.

For further information about the event, visit the London Film Festival website here.