''A Wedding'' (french: Noces) is a 2016 internationally co-produced
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by Stephan Streker. It was screened in the Discovery section at the
2016 Toronto International Film Festival
The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 September 2016. The first announcement of films to be screened at the festival took place on 26 July. Almost 400 films were shown.
Awards
The festival's final awards were ...
. It received eight nominations at the
8th Magritte Awards
The 8th Magritte Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie André Delvaux, honored the best 2017 in film, films of 2017 in Belgium and took place on 3 February 2018 at the Square – Brussels Meeting Centre, Square in the historic site of Mont de ...
, including
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
and
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
for Streker, and won two. It is based on the
honour killing of Sadia Sheikh
The honour killing of Sadia Sheikh occurred on 22 October 2007, when a 20-year-old Belgian woman of Pakistani heritage was fatally shot by her brother, an act of sororicide. The murder occurred in Lodelinsart, Charleroi. Sheikh had left her fam ...
. Streker described the film as a
Greek tragedy
Greek tragedy is a form of theatre from Ancient Greece and Greek inhabited Anatolia. It reached its most significant form in Athens in the 5th century BC, the works of which are sometimes called Attic tragedy.
Greek tragedy is widely believed t ...
.
Story
A Belgian-Pakistani woman named Zahira Kazim, now 18 years old, breaks up with her boyfriend (who is also of Pakistani ancestry) when he says he does not want a child after she becomes pregnant. Her parents, meanwhile, ask her to choose between three candidates for marriage, all based in Pakistan, and she is uninterested in all of them. Instead she falls in love with a Belgian man, Pierre, and decides to get an abortion in the Netherlands after initially being unable to go through with one. Her friend Aurore and Aurore's father André help her as the relationship between herself and her family deteriorates over their attempts to make her agree to a
forced marriage
Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...
: she moves in with Aurore after her father starts a fight at her school. Zahira comes back to her family after her
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
-based sister, Hina Kazim, pleads with her to come back, and she goes through with a wedding to a French-speaking Pakistani man over
Skype
Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...
. However she leaves again when told she will fly to Pakistan for a second wedding and that Hina will go to Pakistan instead of returning to Spain; Zahira spends time with Pierre. Her father, Mansoor Kazim, experiences medical problems due to the stress. Zahira comes back to her house one last time to say goodbye, but her brother Amir Kazim fatally shoots her, an act of
sororicide
Sororicide (from Latin ''soror'' "sister" + ''-cide'', from ''caedere'' "to cut, to kill") is the act of killing one's own sister.
There are a number of examples of sororicide and fratricide in adolescents, even pre-adolescents, where sibling ...
and an
honour killing
An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of t ...
, whilst hugging her. As photographs of crime scene exhibits are on the screen, a voiceover of a farewell letter addressed to her family occurs.
Cast
*
Lina El Arabi
Lina El Arabi (born 11 August 1995) is a French actress of Moroccan heritage.
Biography
El Arabi was born in Choisy-le-Roi, France, in 1995. At age six, she began playing violin at the Choisy-le-Roi conservatory, and at ten, she got involved i ...
as Zahira Kazim
** Streker described her as an "
Antigone
In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...
of her time" and "a character enriched by two cultures that, rather than cancelling one another out, add to one another." She is a Muslim and remains so even after eloping with Pierre.
* as Amir Kazim
*
Babak Karimi
Babak Karimi ( fa, بابک کریمی, born 1960) is a Czech-Iranian actor. For his role in ''A Separation'', he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival in 2011.
Filmography
Film
* ''Tickets'' (2 ...
as Mansoor Kazim
** Jay Weissberg of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' stated that Streker "also scrupulously tries to present Mansoor as a loving father tied to a rigid code of honor which will destroy his entire family if shirked" but that he "succeeds only fitfully." Karimi never speaks in any of his
native language
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
s in this film and is the only actor with this situation.
*
Neena Kulkarni
Neena Kulkarni (''neena'' Joshi) is an Indian actress. She began her acting career in the 1970s on the Marathi professional stage and Hindi experimental stage, along with fashion shows and modelling simultaneously. She met Pt Satyadev Dubey, h ...
as Yelda Kazim
** Kulkarni stated that Yelda is "not a villain at all" but instead as someone "caught in circumstances" and "stuck to her fanaticism or beliefs." Kulkarni added that "despite staying in elgium
elda
Elda is a city and municipality located in the province of Alicante, Spain. , it has a total population of 55,618 inhabitants, ranking as the 7th most populous city in the province. Elda joins together with the town of Petrer to form a conurba ...
doesn't integrate into that country at all."
*
Olivier Gourmet
Olivier Gourmet (born 22 July 1963) is a Belgian actor.
Gourmet was born in Namur. He won the Best Actor award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for his role in '' Le Fils'' by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. He also appeared in ''La Promesse'' ...
as André
*
Alice de Lencquesaing
Alice de Lencquesaing (; born 11 August 1991) is a French actress who appeared in Mia Hansen-Løve's 2009 film '' Father of My Children'' with her father Louis-Do de Lencquesaing. Her mother is cinematographer Caroline Champetier
Caroline Champe ...
as Aurore
* as Pierre
*
Aurora Marion
Aurora Marion (born 22 December 1985) is a Belgian stage and film actress. She began working in theatre after developing an interest in acting, before making her film debut in ''Almayer's Folly (film), Almayer's Folly'' (2011), which earned her a ...
as Hina Kazim
** The Sheikh case did not involve an older sister; the writer created an older sister character for the fictional story.
*
Harmandeep Palminder
Harmandeep Palminder (born September 4, 1996) is a French actor of Punjabi origin.
Biography
Harmandeep Palminder was born in a Sikh Punjabi family in Blanc-Mesnil but spent his childhood and adolescence in Aulnay-sous-Bois, in the Île-de-Franc ...
as Adnan
*
Sandor Funtek
Sandor Funtek () is a French actor.
His father, an artist, originated from Hungary, while his mother, also an artist, was from a French-speaking background.
His first lead role is in ' (originally ''L'enkas'' or ''The Truk'') (2019).
Roles Film
...
as Frank
The actor playing the
imam
Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...
character was in real life an imam and was of Pakistani heritage.
Development
It is a co-production of the following: the Belgian firms Daylight and Minds Meet, the French firm Formosa Productions, the Luxembourgish firm Tarantula Films, and the Pakistani firm Bodhicitta Works.
Streker stated that he did not feel inspired by the Sheikh murder until his discovery that the killer, her brother, loved his sister. As it was based on a real case, a lawyer reviewed the script to ensure that it was compliant with
Belgian law
The legal system of Belgium is based on the Napoleonic code. The Napoleonic code is the French civil code which was issued between 1804 and 1810. It clearly presents the French legal system. Belgium’s constitution is influenced by earlier const ...
. Streker added that he did not want to have obvious villains, quoting
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...
, who stated, in Streker's words "there were never any bad guys in his films because each of them always had his reasons."
Streker used a consultant to ensure depictions of
Pakistani culture
The Culture of Pakistan ( ur, ) is very unique in terms of its social values revolving around the religion of Islam. The region has formed a distinct cultural unit within the main cultural complex of South Asia, Middle East and Central Asia ...
were accurate. The final actress he cast was El Arabi even though he initially believed the role would be the first one filled. Desiring an "
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...
" for the Zahira role, he specified this aspect in capital letters, and added that she was "une des plus grandes actrices qui ait jamais existé" ("one of the greatest actresses who ever existed"). He also wanted someone who was Francophone, about 18 years old, and a person who would be credible as a Belgian Pakistani. Streker stated that he had such specific requirements that he could not find an actress of actual Pakistani heritage; instead he chose an actress of Moroccan heritage. He initially did not especially notice El Arabi but some videotapes of her already done convinced him she could fill the role, and he ordered a second audition for her. He stated that in every scene, Zahira's point of view was in the opening and ending. As part of the filming she had to learn some
A Separation
''A Separation'' ( fa, جدایی, Jodâyi; also titled ''Nader and Simin, A Separation'') is a 2011 Iranian drama film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, starring Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, and Sarina Farhad ...
'', spoke French.
Release
The film premiered on 24 August 2016, in the and was also scheduled to show in the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
.
Reviews
Weissberg stated that despite the fact the director "strives hard to offer a balanced view of a traditional family in Belgium forcing their daughter into an
arranged marriage
Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...
, yet in the end he delivers an issue-of-the-week cautionary tale that, though well-made, hits far too many expected buttons." However he stated that the performance of the lead actress compensated for this issue.
''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' concluded it is "A probing family drama carried by a strong multicultural cast."
Accolades
See also
*
List of Belgian films of the 2010s
A list of films produced in Belgium ordered by year of release. For an alphabetical list of Belgian films see :Belgian films
Film in 2010, 2010
Film in 2011, 2011
Film in 2012, 2012
Film in 2013, 2013
Film in 2014, 2014
Film ...
*
List of French films of 2016
A list of French-produced films scheduled for release in 2016.
2016
Notes
External links
French films of 2016at the Internet Movie Database
* 2016 in France
* 2016 in French television
{{DEFAULTSORT:French films 2016
French
2016
...
*
List of Luxembourgish films
This is a list of films produced or filmed in Luxembourg, including numerous films made for television in the country. Many of them may have been co-produced with Germany, France or Belgium.
A
*''An American Werewolf in Paris'' (1997)
B
*'' Ba ...
*
List of Pakistani films of 2016
This is a partial list of Pakistani films scheduled to release in 2016:
Highest-grossing films
The top 10 films released in 2016 by worldwide gross are as follows:
:''Background color indicates the current releases''
Events
Award ceremo ...
*
Overseas Pakistani
Overseas Pakistanis ( ur, ), or the Pakistani diaspora, refers to Pakistani people who live outside of Pakistan. These include citizens that have migrated to another country as well as people born abroad of Pakistani descent. According to th ...
*
Honour killing in Pakistan
Honour killings in Pakistan are known locally as ''karo-kari'' ( ur, ). Pakistan currently have the top number of documented and estimated honour killings per capita of any country in the world; about 1/5 of the world's honour killings are comm ...
*
Abortion in Belgium Abortion in Belgium was fully legalised on 4 April 1990. Abortion is legal until 12 weeks after conception (14 weeks after the last menstrual period). The woman is required to receive counselling at least six days prior to the abortion and to check ...
*
Abortion in the Netherlands
Abortion in the Netherlands was fully legalized on November 1, 1984, allowing elective abortion care up to the 24th week of the pregnancy. Abortion for "serious medical reasons" can be performed after 24 weeks. There is a mandatory five-day waiti ...