Venkat Raman
If you are a young bride or groom, engaged, about to be engaged, recently married or about to be married, you could become a part of television documentary, which will be seen by millions of people in New Zealand and overseas.
Notable Pictures, a New Zealand company based in Auckland is producing the documentary titled, ‘Arranged’ for TV3.
Parental consent
Researcher Jane Dowell said that the documentary would feature only ‘Arranged Marriages,’ meaning those organised by the concerned parents with their consent.
“The brand new documentary series will celebrate traditional, cultural betrothals and weddings. We are currently seeking couples who are soon-to-be-wed, recently engaged, soon-to-be engaged as well as singles, who, along with their families are beginning the search for a suitable spouse,” she said.
Potential participants could be from India, Fiji, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South East Asia, Afghanistan and Africa. They represent a number of religions and faiths including Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism and Islam.
Route to Matrimony
Ms Dowell recognised that arranged marriages come about in a number of ways – through family and friends, online connections, matchmaking services, travel to India or other countries where people of Indian origin live; or even by young couples taking their proposal to their parents for approval.
“We want to hear these stories and more. ‘Arranged’ is all about celebrating the wonderful and unique aspects of arranged weddings that are traditional and cultural and our nation’s ever-increasing ethnic diversity. We will share with the audience the beliefs, customs and rituals of the culture that are central to wedding or engagement,” she said.
Honouring stories
According to Ms Dowell, her company is noted for honouring and respecting personal stories that were filmed through ‘Both Worlds’ and ‘The Festival,’ a TV3 documentary series.
“It is through these series that we heard fascinating stories of arranged marriages and felt that there would many interesting aspects to them. We pride ourselves on making quality programming about ethnic and cultural diversity that serves communities, promoting cultural understanding and acceptance by the wider New Zealand community,” she said.
Filming for ‘Arranged’ will continue until June 2015 and those interested and eligible may contact Jane Dowell on (09) 9735731 or 021-542922. Email: research@notablepictures.com
