“Everything started from here”: the Comminge documentary project on the epic tale of Saint-Marcet gas, the first deposit discovered in France

It is a buried passage of Comminge history that Virginie Viard and Vincent Barthe seek to bring to the surface in a documentary. That of Saint-Marcet gas, the first deposit discovered in France in 1939. Entitled “Everything started from here”, this film currently under construction will retrace the discovery of black gold at a place called “Le Pinat”, in Latoue, on the borders of Saint-Marcet and Aulon. From the discovery of the Comminge deposit in 1939 to its exploitation for half a century, the documentary will address the creation of the Autonomous Petroleum Authority then of Elf Aquitaine, ancestor of Total, without forgetting the resistance of oil tankers during the war. A complex story, which the directors wish to tell to “place Comminges in history, the great one”.

A film with and for the Commingeois

To carry out this documentary, Virginie Viard and Vincent Barthe have been collecting archives since 2015. “Memory is our material and it takes time to bring it back to the surface. It's a bit of a work of “contemporary archaeology, where we look for vestiges, witnesses”, describes Virginie Viard. To best document this project, the film team wishes to involve the Commingeoirs. “We are making this film for the people here and with them.” This is the whole objective of the screening on November 28, where everyone is invited to come with their memories and personal archives, objects or photographs. “We would like to involve people in this project,” continues the author.