THE MARRIAGE PROJECT
IRAN / FRANCE / 2019, 80 MINS / DCP / 5.1
DIRECTORS: ATIEH ATTARZADEH & HESAM ESLAMI
PRODUCERS: CARACTÈRES PRODUCTION & ARAS FILMS
The head of a mental institution in Tehran secures the money to build a new marital unit. Despite strong opposition, he is convinced patients would benefit from being a couple. As a selection committee begins evaluating patients, hidden affections come to surface. Will the patients be able to form a marriage? What would their families think? What about the patients who weren’t selected but still crave a relationship?
"The new head of a Tehran psychiatric hospital has an idea to experiment with ..." IMDB
"Is Love the Best Medicine?" POV Magazine
"... there’s something meta about this documentary about deciding which neuro atypical in an Iranian facility has the mental capacity for marriage. ..." In The Seats
"Atieh Attarzadeh and Hesam Eslami direct a very brave documentary ..." Asian Movie Pulse
For a screener, contact info@docandkey.ca
FESTIVALS AND AWARDS:
Student Jury Award, Creative Documentary Competition at Festival Interférences Lyon 2021 (France), Second Best Documentary & Second Best Film Poster at ImagineIndia Film Festival 2021 (Spain), Award Winner of Up & Coming Competition of International Human Rights Film Festival, This Human World - Outlines 2020 (Austria), "Monde en Regards" Award & "Images en Bibliothèques" Selection at Festival International du Film Jean Rouch 2020 (Paris, France), Special Mention at Escales Documentaires de La Rochelle 2020 (France).
Cinéma Vérité 2019 (Iran), FAJR 2020 (Iran), Visions du Réel 2020 (Switzerland), Thessaloniki Documentary Film festival 2020 (Greece), Millenium Documentary festival 2020 (Belgium), Firenze Film Festival 2020 (Italy), Taiwan Women Make Waves Festival 2020 (Taiwan), Festival Traces de Vie 2020 (Clermont-Ferrand, France), Rendez-Vous With Madness Film festival 2020 (Canada), Global Health Film Festival 2020 (UK & Ireland), This Human World 2020 (Austria), FIPADOC 2021 (France), Ethnocineca – International Documentary Film Festival Vienna 2021(Austria), Dokubazaar Human Rights Film Festival 2021 (Slovenia), Qumra 2021 (Qatar), Rencontres Vidéo en Santé Mentale 2021 (France), Rencontres Images Mentales Bruxelles 2022 (Belgium).