On June 5, 2004, the town of B�gles found itself at the center of an unprecedented political, legal and media storm. No�l Mam�re, a French mayor, joined together two men in matrimony. For the first time in the history of the Republic of France, two young gay men, St�phane Chapin and Bertrand Charpentier, exchanged wedding rings in the presence of the Town Mayor, and the whole country.
St�phane, a home health worker, and Bertrand, a shopkeeper, did not want to become the flag-bearers of a militant struggle or gay icons. They just wanted to get married because they love one another. Jean-Michel Vennemani spent the three weeks before their marriage in close quarters with the husbands-to-be. The film-maker followed them as they made final preparations, and met with lawyers. He also filmed the concerns of their circle of friends and the media chase. At the same time, Yves Jeuland followed the mayor of B�gles, his co-workers and his lawyers. No�l Mam�re wanted to bring about political debate on the issue of gay marriage. He got more than he bargained for� between words of support, death threats and political pressures, the Green Party representative found himself in the middle of a controversy even he never realized would stir up emotions so much!
At once funny, violent and moving, this real-time documentary attempts to unravel what is behind the issues and fears in this symbolic clash: marriage, that sacrosanct institution ritualized by the Church and encoded in France by Napoleon is called into question.

Photos

Credits

Directed by

Jean-Michel Vennemani & Yves Jeuland

Produced by

Cie des phares et balises, Canal+, Pink TV

Technical information

Copyright :

2004

Running time:

90 minutes

Broadcasts :

Canal+ (07/01/2004), PinkTV (11/15/2004)

Awards

selection: Gay & Lesbian Film Festivals in Paris (2004), Turin (2005)

Press reviews

�It�s the final countdown. A hair-raising countdown, full of paranoia, moving emotions and sensitivity, from D-21 to the exchange of the rings. In the midst of a horde of journalists who came to hunt down the media beasts, just two film cameras, belonging to two of the heavyweights in subtle production. (�) Behind the scenes, with no trace of voyeurism, and with veritably ground-breaking scenes, this documentary is the breathtaking thriller of a match which made the regional head, the Prime Minister and even the French President take a stand.� � TELERAMA, French TV magazine

�The two producers make us forget that their cameras are there, but not their presence, which is subtle, attentive, intuitive and, because of this, terribly corrosive.� - LE MONDE, French daily

�Jean-Michel Vennemani and Yves Jeuland brought together their talents to recount the topsy-turvy chronicle of the first ever gay marriage. A social event which His & His touches on with the humanity and precision one has come to expect from these two documentary-makers. A documentary made by authors, with a lively and warm tone� -TELE CABLE SATELLITE HEBDO, French weekly TV listings magazine