ConceptIn 2003 four young couples from varied backgrounds met in the Presbytery of St Francis Xavier’s Church at Lavender Bay. Invited for dinner, each bought a plate as a contribution to one of Father Peter Quin’s regular pre-marriage dinners.
Amongst the group were some who were practising Catholics and others who were marrying in to the faith but were happy to come along to please their partner or future in-laws. None of them were quite sure what they were up for.
Over the next couple of hours, Father Quin surprised them all. There was no bible bashing or outmoded advice from the crusty old celibate. Instead, it was an incisive discussion and exploration around the tricky issues of committing to a long-term relationship and managing to stay together. The conversation ranged across a broad range of topics from the realities of living together once the first blush has faded, having children (or not), infidelity, resolving arguments and the art of listening to each other.
Father Quin has run these dinners for more than 30 years and prides himself on his success rate. By his reckoning around 75 percent of his previous dinner guests, and they are many, are still married. Given the current divorce statistics, where one in three marriages fail, it’s a remarkable average.
Five years on, how are they travelling? At a time when marriage is regaining its popularity, this program is a fascinating insight into the realities of contemporary marriage. Footage of the original dinner is interwoven with interviews and observational material of the four couples today. What difficulties if any have they encountered? How has their relationship changed over the five years? What useful advice did Father Quin give that has helped them keep their vows to one another?
Getting Married also includes an interview with an expert from the Australian Institute of Family Studies, who reveals interesting results from a recent study about the survival rate for marriage compared to de-facto relationships.
Access Approvals from the couples are in train and we are confident that we will obtain the necessary permissions.
The original footage of the dinner was filmed for the highly successful NIP series Divorce Stories and is held in the Film Australia archive. The dinner party, interviews with Father Quin and a reunion picnic for many of the couples he had successfully counselled over the years, was originally shot to counterbalance personal testimony from people who had gone through or were in the middle of divorce. During the edit process, the decision was made to concentrate wholly on divorce rather than incorporate themes about relationship resilience. None of Father Quin’s material has been seen before.
Rationale This proposal is an ideal ‘mining’ of the Film Australia archive to shed light on highly topical social trends. With more people marrying and an increasing desire among couples to make a lifetime commitment to one another, Getting Married is a dynamic way of exploring whether it is possible to ‘future proof’ a marriage. With recent research showing that the majority of de facto relationships end within seven years, is the institution of marriage a more enduring option?
The Team Having an established reputation for producing high quality series and an excellent working relationship with Film Australia, Iris Pictures is well placed to develop Getting Married.
Catherine Marciniak shot the original Father Quin material for Divorce Stories, working with Co-Directors Jessica Douglas-Henry and Steve Westh. In the process of researching and shooting the story, Jessica and Catherine established a relationship of trust with Father Quin and the couples.
During the development phase Jessica will work with Catherine to confirm the permissions, review the archival footage, source the AIFS study and secure the relevant expert. The deliverables will include a treatment and budget for the proposed program.
Amongst the group were some who were practising Catholics and others who were marrying in to the faith but were happy to come along to please their partner or future in-laws. None of them were quite sure what they were up for.
Over the next couple of hours, Father Quin surprised them all. There was no bible bashing or outmoded advice from the crusty old celibate. Instead, it was an incisive discussion and exploration around the tricky issues of committing to a long-term relationship and managing to stay together. The conversation ranged across a broad range of topics from the realities of living together once the first blush has faded, having children (or not), infidelity, resolving arguments and the art of listening to each other.
Father Quin has run these dinners for more than 30 years and prides himself on his success rate. By his reckoning around 75 percent of his previous dinner guests, and they are many, are still married. Given the current divorce statistics, where one in three marriages fail, it’s a remarkable average.
Five years on, how are they travelling? At a time when marriage is regaining its popularity, this program is a fascinating insight into the realities of contemporary marriage. Footage of the original dinner is interwoven with interviews and observational material of the four couples today. What difficulties if any have they encountered? How has their relationship changed over the five years? What useful advice did Father Quin give that has helped them keep their vows to one another?
Getting Married also includes an interview with an expert from the Australian Institute of Family Studies, who reveals interesting results from a recent study about the survival rate for marriage compared to de-facto relationships.
Access Approvals from the couples are in train and we are confident that we will obtain the necessary permissions.
The original footage of the dinner was filmed for the highly successful NIP series Divorce Stories and is held in the Film Australia archive. The dinner party, interviews with Father Quin and a reunion picnic for many of the couples he had successfully counselled over the years, was originally shot to counterbalance personal testimony from people who had gone through or were in the middle of divorce. During the edit process, the decision was made to concentrate wholly on divorce rather than incorporate themes about relationship resilience. None of Father Quin’s material has been seen before.
Rationale This proposal is an ideal ‘mining’ of the Film Australia archive to shed light on highly topical social trends. With more people marrying and an increasing desire among couples to make a lifetime commitment to one another, Getting Married is a dynamic way of exploring whether it is possible to ‘future proof’ a marriage. With recent research showing that the majority of de facto relationships end within seven years, is the institution of marriage a more enduring option?
The Team Having an established reputation for producing high quality series and an excellent working relationship with Film Australia, Iris Pictures is well placed to develop Getting Married.
Catherine Marciniak shot the original Father Quin material for Divorce Stories, working with Co-Directors Jessica Douglas-Henry and Steve Westh. In the process of researching and shooting the story, Jessica and Catherine established a relationship of trust with Father Quin and the couples.
During the development phase Jessica will work with Catherine to confirm the permissions, review the archival footage, source the AIFS study and secure the relevant expert. The deliverables will include a treatment and budget for the proposed program.
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