Hot Docs - The Broker
This tragicomic glimpse into an Iranian dating agency, whose clients’ feelings and preferences are trampled in the rush to marry them off, offers a shocking reminder that the patriarchy’s fiercest agents can also be women.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Azadi Moghadam
Watch The Broker on Prime Video and Kanopy
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I noticed an interesting and complex situation, single men and women looking for a suitable spouse in a marriage agency. This delicate and paradoxical circumstance caught my eyes, so I tried to get closer to it by making a documentary movie.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This film is about a fundamental need in human nature. Wherever in this world they live, they need to find a companion and partner to live with.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
A number of single men and women in Tehran (Iran) have failed to find a partner and they go to a marriage agency for help. But can they find love like this?
I think that no matter where someone lives, everyone can probably find themselves in a similar situation, being hopeless in finding love or feeling very lonely. If they do, could the marriage agencies act as a suitable answer?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The main film plot was to describe the marriage agency atmosphere, how the brokers work, how they evaluate and classify clients’ documents, things like that. But after a while I found that two of the brokers, themselves, are actually single, and they are looking for a partner themselves, too. Knowing that, I chose to focus on where each of these specific relationships would go.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Most of the audience seemed to like the fact that the brokers were so comfortable around the camera. It seems that the paradoxical situation of a broker who is single was interesting for some of them too. Some people say that the film has a sad reflection on their minds, reminding them of a problematic society.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Actually there was a comment that surprised me. One of the audience told me that, in her opinion, the happy, delightful broker at the beginning of the film turned into a sad, broken person sitting on a client’s chair at the end.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I am very thankful to the www.wearemovingstories.com for introducing the film to a wider viewership. I hope that the film will influence more people, and for myself, to receive more valuable feedback.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
All of them, especially critics, journalists, and film festival directors who could bring more people to watch the film.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like the audience to think about the quality of their own human relationships, where is the place of love in their life, and whether their relationships are in accordance with their personal preferences or more with the society’s criteris.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What are the main reasons for someone to get help from a marriage agency? And what about the “love” itself in their lives?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am now working on a project about a few women with poor income, who are living each (separately) in old (modest) apartments in Tehran. They are all single and each has left their families and has lived alone for a while. Their landlord is a 95 year-old woman who lives in a nursing house. Now they are concerned about their future in case of the death of the landlord... And the project is at the research stage.
Interview: April 2018
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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The Broker
No-one gives me wine of Love, No-one with the heart, himself would align.
Length: 61 min
Director: Azadi Moghadam
Producer: Azadi Moghadam
Writer: Azadi Moghadam
About the writer, director and producer:
Azadi was born in Tehran. She studied theatre. She filmed her first documentary movie "Kahrizak - Tajrish" in 2015 and her second film; The Broker (first feature documentary) in 2018. She has been writing and researching about Iranian documentary cinema. Now, she is working on her third documentary movie project.
Key cast: Shokouh Kharazi (Sadri)
Social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/azadi.r.moghadam
Instagram: Azadi.r.m
Made in association with: 25HotDocs Film Festival
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? https://goo.gl/pmxP1s
TIFF Bell Lightbox 4 Sat, 28April , 5:45
Scotiabank Theatre 7 Mon, 30April, 2:45
Revue Cinema Fri, 4May, 3:30