About the Film

The marriage ritual is a nucleus of Indian society, and for the most part, the arranged marriage. The match-making process often establishes the woman’s place in society and prompts her to negotiate within herself issues of identity, sexuality and femininity. The Great Indian Marriage Bazaar is a feature length quirky and insightful documentary film that explores how traditions and rituals are being redefined and contextualized in modern-day ideals of urban Indian society during an era of post-liberalization. As many 20-something year old women in India face mounting pressure to get married, the filmmaker turns the camera onto herself to present a first point of view journey into her parents’ “mission-son-in-law”, and in turn, explores larger complex systemic issues that women not only in India but globally, are grappling with today.

Awards

• 2012 Silver Award for Best Asian Social Issues Documentary Film, New York Television Awards
• 2009 Asian Pitch – full commission by NHK Japan & Mediacorp Singapore [Executive Producers]

Television Distribution

• BBC World
• Arte France
• Channel NewsAsia 
• Discovery Europe
• NHK Japan, and other channels

Film Festivals

• 2012 International Women’s Festival, Miami, FL
•  2012 Tunisia International Film Festival
•  2012 Women of Color Festival, Atlanta
•  2012 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, LA
•  2012 South Asian International Festival, NYC
•  2012 Stuttgart Indian Film Festival, Germany
•  2012 Indie Vibes New Generation, Frankfurt, Germany

Educational & Community Screenings

• 2012 Association for Women in Development, Istanbul
•  2015 Women’s Day Panel Discussion at Tank Theater (off-Broadway)
• 2015 Women’s Education Project, NYC
• 2015  Yale University, CT
• 2015 The New School, NYC

Social Impact Producing

STEP 1

Once feature documentary production completed, identified platforms for distribution beyond television channels.

STEP 2

Curate and host events at organizations and venues to prompt a larger dialogue on the films’ macro ideas and issues.

STEP 3

Tour with the film at educational institutions, where conversations with students included self-inquiry and self- documenting exercises using citizen journalism techniques.

Outcome & Impact

Asides from international television broadcasts, including BBC World, the film screened the film at over forty different venues including women’s festivals, organizations, educational institutions, and commercial venues.

As an outcome, the film sparked dialogue and inquiry with women and girls around the world on issues of sexuality, identity, femininity. Examples of successful responses were self-shot narratives created by young women at The University of the South on their Southern U.S. context, a three-hour screening and panel discussion with other women of color at The Tank Theater located off-Broadway, and lively conversations with Tunisian women at an international film festival.