''Runaway Grooms'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by

Ali Kazimi Ali Kazimi D. Litt. (born 1961) is an Indo-Canadian filmmaker, media artist and writer. Early life and education Born and raised in India, Kazimi attended St. Columba's School and graduated from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University in 198 ...

and released in 2005. An examination of the

dowry system in India The dowry system in India refers to the durable goods, cash, and real or movable property that the bride's family gives to the groom, his parents and his relatives as a condition of the marriage. Dowry is referred to dahez in Hindi and as ''jahez ...

, the film explores the phenomenon of

Indo-Canadian Indian Canadians are Canadians who have ancestry from India. The terms ''Indo-Canadian'' or ''East Indian'' are sometimes used to avoid confusion with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Categorically, Indian Canadians comprise a subgroup of ...

men who fraudulently return to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

ostensibly seeking women to marry, but then abandon the woman and return to Canada without her as soon as they have secured possession of her dowry. The film premiered on April 20, 2005, as an episode of CBC Television's documentary series '' The Passionate Eye''. It won the

Donald Brittain Award The Donald Brittain Award is a Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to honour the year's best television documentary on a social or political topic. Formerly presented as part of the Gemini Awards, ...

for Best Social or Political Documentary Program at the 20th Gemini Awards."The Gemini winners"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', November 20, 2005.

References

External links

* 2005 films 2005 documentary films Donald Brittain Award winning shows CBC Television original films Canadian documentary television films 2000s English-language films Films directed by Ali Kazimi 2000s Canadian films {{2000s-Canada-documentary-film-stub