| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (51 min. 58 sec.) ; 312585494 bytes |
| Summary |
Two sisters living in England whose family has raised them in the traditions of their native Bangladesh have very different perspectives on the issue of arranged marriage in this documentary from filmmaker Simon Chambers. Shahanara Begum is in her early 20's and has embraced life in the West with gusto - she speaks freely and wears loud, skimpy clothes. But Shahanara's lifestyle has turned her father against her, and hoping to pacify him, she agrees to marry a man that her family has chosen for her. However, when she discovers after the ceremony that he's decided they will live in Bangladesh rather than London, she abandons her new spouse and goes back to her other boyfriend. Meanwhile, Shahanara's younger sister Hushnara Begum is quiet and dutiful, and when her folks inform her they've decided she will wed a man in Bangladesh she's never met, she meekly goes along. However, as Hushnara's wedding day draws closer; her misgivings grow stronger and stronger. Every Good Marriage Begins With Tears takes its title from an old Kyrgyz saying.Exploring the concerns of both traditional family members and their Anglicised children, Every Good Marriage Begins With Tears is Simon Chambers' first independent feature."It's more a film about the universal issues of attitudes to love in the 21st century, and also a celebration of how well the English and Bangladeshi communities can get on together.""While the film is only about one family and therefore cannot represent the Bangladeshi community, I learnt so much about the culture in the East End, where I had been living for 20 years, especially when I went to Bangladesh with the girls to do the filming." Simon was a youth worker in Islington for 15 years before starting to make documentaries."I was fed up with the way that the Government and the press were only representing the Muslim community in a very narrow way. All they talk about is Islamic fundamentalism, or how women are oppressed, or whether women should be allowed to cover their faces. This is so narrow, and hopefully this film shows a side of British Muslim life which we don't often see." (From the UK, in English and Bengali, English subtitles) (Documentary) |
| Event |
Broadcast 2012-10-18 at 20:30:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: M |
| Subject |
Arranged marriage.
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Conflict of generations.
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Muslim women -- Legal status, laws, etc.
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Families -- Religious aspects.
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Islamic marriage customs and rites.
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England -- London.
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Bangladesh.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
Chambers, Simon, director
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Ali, Azirun, cast
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Begum, Hushnara, cast
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Begum, Shahanara, cast
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