Project Detail

Marriage Test

A smartly dressed woman and man sit side by side in a waiting  room, sharing a quiet smile.

Synopsis

Set in a mosque waiting room in 1980s South Wales, and inspired by the true story of writer-director Sara Nourizadeh's parents, a young couple whose relationship crossed boundaries of culture, faith and expectation.
At a time when Iranian politics dominated UK headlines and shaped public attitudes, a Welsh woman and her Iranian fiancé prepare for an Islamic conversion ceremony – a requirement they must fulfil if they are to marry. What follows is a quietly charged and emotionally intimate portrait of two people trying to navigate a moment that is both deeply personal and subtly political. As they wait for the ceremony to begin, small details – a trembling hand, a whispered joke, a fleeting moment of doubt – reveal the emotional stakes beneath the surface. Their conversation dances between humour and tension, affection and uncertainty, reflecting the push and pull of family pressures, cultural misunderstandings, and their own hopes for the future.
Authentic VHS archive footage of the real couple is interwoven within this scripted drama, grounding the film in lived experience and offering an unexpectedly tender glimpse into the decades that followed.

Details

Year
2026
Type of project
Shorts
Running time
11 min 58 sec
Format
ARRI Alexa Mini LF
Director
Sara Nourizadeh
Producer
Roxy Amini
Executive Producer
Alice Lusher, Matthew Barry, Ali Mashayekhi, Jessica Cobham-Dineen
Editor
Andy Sowerby
Screenwriter
Sara Nourizadeh
Director of Photography
Markus Ilschner
Production Designer
Rana Fadavi
Sound
Nick Sounidis
Composer
Marcin Mazurek
Principal cast
Arian Nik, Poppy Lee Friar

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Supported by BFI NETWORK, Ffilm Cymru Wales

Field Day Films Ltd

Roxy Amini

Page updates

This page was last updated on 19th January 2026. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A woman lying in bed staring through the camera Web

Director: Alfie Beecher

Year: 2026

A woman living alone follows a meticulous nightly routine after killing a home intruder. As the aftermath unfolds, disturbing details reveal this has all happened before.

A Night in Porto A Night in Porto

Director: Antonio Sequeira, Anastasiia Vorotniuk

Year: 2026

Two former lovers unexpectedly reunite on a Christmas night in Porto. Their encounter sparks a reflective journey into whether life offers second chances at happiness.

My Little Blue Heart My Little Blue Heart

Director: Iqbal Mohammed

Year: 2026

In a near future in rural Britain, Mustafa cares for his deaf sister, Amna, spending their days together in their hidden, isolated home. One morning, anti-immigration vigilantes descend, tearing them apart and leaving each to navigate fear, loss, and the quiet brutality of a world shaped by far-right policies. Amna escapes and searches for her brother, moving through the fields with determination, only to witness a horrific event. A meditation on family, the unbreakable ties between siblings, and the devastating cycles of violence that fracture lives. Against the backdrop of systemic oppression, the film explores how hate divides families, how love endures, and how the human heart persists even in the face of destruction.