The Paper Wedding (French: Les noces de papier) is a 1989 made for television Canadian film directed by Michel Brault.
Screenwriter Jefferson Lewis heard about his sister's roommate, who married a Frenchman despite not knowing him in order to give him citizenship, but the two later fell into love.
Lewis had not written a feature film and his experience was writing a few episodes of Mount Royal and documentaries about Henry Morgentaler and Wilder Penfield.
He wrote a 20-page film treatment three to four years after coming up with the idea and summited it to the Société Générale des Industries Culturelle.
[3] Aimée Danis, the founder and executive producer of Les Productions du Verseau, called Lewis to inquire if he had any ideas.
[5] They had difficulty casting Pablo, the role was left unfilled until a few weeks before production started, and Bussy contacted several Latin American organizations.
In September 1988, Lewis saw Manuel Aránguiz introducing a Spanish-language TV documentary about El Salvador and sent the tape to Bussy.
Radio-Québec opposed releasing the film theatrically in Canada, but Pierre Latour called a senior executive and was able to secure permission.
The film opened in the United States in New York City on 21 June 1991, where it was a financial failure despite earning USD$250,000 in the country.
[8] The 1990 American film Green Card, starring Gérard Dépardieu and Andie MacDowell, featured marked similarities to The Paper Wedding.