Louise Bernard, with Alexis Patri 11:15 a.m., June 30, 2022

France broadcasts Thursday evening "Last days at Matignon", a documentary which followed the last 100 days of Prime Minister of Jean Castex.

Renaud Revel, one of the authors and co-directors of this documentary, explains to the microphone of Europe 1 the difficulties in convincing Jean Castex to accept the teams of France 2 behind the scenes.

INTERVIEW

What does a Prime Minister do with his last 100 days of work before a presidential election which he knows will mark his departure?

What does the daily life of the Matignon teams look like?

These are the questions answered by the documentary

Last Days at Matignon

, broadcast on Thursday evening.

France 2 follows former Prime Minister Jean Castex there during his last 100 days.

Coincidentally, the film crews set up their camera for the first time at Matignon on February 23.

Or the day before the start of the war in Ukraine.

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The directors wanted to film what happens in Matignon 100 days before a presidential election.

They also found themselves at the heart of strong news.

In

Last days at Matignon

, viewers will discover how Matignon works: we follow cabinet meetings, communication strategies, how certain decisions are taken, for example on aid in the face of rising gas prices.

"We had to manage the character of Castex"

On the other hand, you will not see anything from the private life of Jean Castex, who strictly refused to be filmed with his family, in private apartments or during his morning sport.

One of the authors and co-directors of the documentary, Renaud Revel, explains to Europe 1 behind the scenes of the filming.

Because, if the Matignon teams quickly accepted the principle of a documentary, it was then necessary to negotiate each access, once on site. 

"It was not very simple: we had to adapt to the rhythm of his teams and to the temperament of a Prime Minister who was not easy. We had to negotiate on a case-by-case basis", recalls Renaud Revel .

"We had to manage both the character of Castex, who is tough and authoritarian, contrary to his image. We discovered someone who has a monumental workload and a house that is a company that lives at 100 to the 'hour."

 Go behind the scenes of a place in the shadow of the Elysée

The teams managed to film it until the end: the last boxes, the transfer of power with Elisabeth Borne, the 'goodbye' to the teams... Jean Castex even read his resignation letter, seated at his desk, a few minutes before going to give it to Emmanuel Macron.

Beyond Jean Castex, the teams also filmed a lot of all those who work at Matignon: the young advisers who do not count their hours, the Prime Minister's communications director... The butler, too, who is was about to retire after 34 years at Matignon and 14 prime ministers. 

“We had to tell about this house that we know little about. We know the Élysée well, a lot of things have been done on it for 30 or 40 years. We realized that there was ultimately very little about Matignon “, observes at our microphone Renaud Revel.

“The Élysée is a very silent and very starchy cathedral. Matignon is a factory, an anthill. slamming, the floors creak. We wanted to see how this machine worked, from the kitchens to the ushers, from the ushers to the secretaries, to the Prime Minister's office."

Last Days at Matignon

 airs Thursday evening at 10:40 p.m.

The documentary is co-directed by Julien Ferrat, Guillaume Martin and Renaud Revel.