One Wedding and a Revolution

The frantic planning inside city hall for the first gay marriage
by
Debra Chasnoff
Kate Stilley Steiner
2004
19 mins

On February 12, 2004, the mayor of San Francisco ordered city officials to allow lesbian and gay couples to get married. Pioneering activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, celebrating their 51st anniversary, had the privilege of being the first couple to tie the knot.

This fast-paced and intimate window into a crucial turning point in American politics will jumpstart any discussion about one of the most controversial issues of our times.
Patricia A. Cain
Professor of Law

Synopsis

(DVD also includes Celebrating the Life of Del Martin)

On February 12, 2004, the mayor of San Francisco ordered city officials to allow lesbian and gay couples to get married. Pioneering activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, celebrating their 51st anniversary, had the privilege of being the first couple to tie the knot. One Wedding and a Revolution goes behind the scenes at the mayor's office during the frantic days leading up to February 12th, and into city hall with exclusive footage of this momentous historical event. Packed with humor, compassion, and political grit, this inspiring short documentary puts a human face on the fight for marriage equality --- of those who deserve their rights and those who have the political power to make change.

One Wedding and a Revolution has won numerous documentary awards at film festivals all over the world and the new re-released 2012 DVD includes our bonus film, Celebrating the Life of Del Martin, which shares the moving memorial service for this lifelong civil rights pioneer. Legendary lesbian civil rights pioneer Del Martin passed away in 2008 and to honor her incomparable contributions, San Francisco celebrated her life with a moving civic celebration in its City Hall grand rotunda. Phyllis Lyon, her partner for over 50 years, was, of course, in attendance, along with a who's who of city's pioneering community of LGBT rights' advocates.

Reviews
One Wedding and a Revolution charts a history no one will forget. It brilliantly captures one of the most important moments in our civil rights struggle with two icons of our movement as its stars.
Kate Kendell
Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights
A polished, intimate look at the first San Francisco gay wedding between lesbian-rights pioneers Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon - [Chasnoff focuses] on back story, recounting the political forces that led to the wedding.
Carla Meyer
San Francisco Chronicle
Read more at: SFGate.com
Highly recommended... provides unique, eye-witness documentation of this important moment in U.S. history, and genuine insight into the rationale behind Mayor Newsom's contentious decision. This film succeeds at attaching human faces to an issue that is most commonly viewed through the lens of political rhetoric.
Dawn Eckenrode
Educational Media Reviews Online
Read more at: libweb.lib.Buffalo.edu
Watch history in the making. Rarely does one get a front row seat to such a historic event. A well-made documentary that tells a great story.
Kathy Belge
Lesbian Life -- www.about.com

Awards and Screenings
Best Short Documentary, Fire Island Film and Video Festival
Audience Award & Best Short Documentary, Fresno Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Special Jury Award, Barcelona International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Audience Choice Award, Spokane Film Festival
Audience Award, Best Short Film & Best Documentary, Santa Barbara Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Best Short Documentary, Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Best Women's Short, Cleveland International Film Festival
Best Advocacy Film, San Francisco State University Women's Film Festival
Audience Favorite & Best Short, Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival

Features and Languages

Film Features

  • Closed Captioning
  • DVD Extras

Promotional Material

Promotional Stills

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