Production design, Short film
Marriage Test is currently entering the festival circuit.
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.
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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.
Starring: @arian_nik & @popsnaps
Director/Writer: @sara.nourizadeh
Producer: @sobersaberr
Assistant Producer: @abtin.sade
DoP: @markusilschner_dp
Casting Director: @rachelsheridancasting
Production Designer: @ranafadavi
Art Director: @max.stranger22
Costume Designer: @seaw0lf
Editor: @andy.sowerby
Motion Designer: @calumyoungson
Music Composer: @marcin.mazurek
1st AC: Ali Acar
2nd AC: Oli Barwell
Gaffer: Stan Proszowski
Spark: Djamel Turner
Sound Mixer: Nick Soundis
Sound Assistant: David Head
Runner: @thisbe.pb
Runner: @isla.rodriguez.mulrooney
VO Artist: @pedrampourkiaeii
Photographer: Joseph Spencer @explura.co
Executive Producer: @mjbarry101
Executive Producer: @alice.e.lusher
Executive Producer: @alimashayehki
Executive Producer: @Jessica Cobham-Dineen
Production company: @field.day.films
Post production: @thefarmpost.tv
Director/Writer: @sara.nourizadeh
Producer: @sobersaberr
Assistant Producer: @abtin.sade
DoP: @markusilschner_dp
Casting Director: @rachelsheridancasting
Production Designer: @ranafadavi
Art Director: @max.stranger22
Costume Designer: @seaw0lf
Editor: @andy.sowerby
Motion Designer: @calumyoungson
Music Composer: @marcin.mazurek
1st AC: Ali Acar
2nd AC: Oli Barwell
Gaffer: Stan Proszowski
Spark: Djamel Turner
Sound Mixer: Nick Soundis
Sound Assistant: David Head
Runner: @thisbe.pb
Runner: @isla.rodriguez.mulrooney
VO Artist: @pedrampourkiaeii
Photographer: Joseph Spencer @explura.co
Executive Producer: @mjbarry101
Executive Producer: @alice.e.lusher
Executive Producer: @alimashayehki
Executive Producer: @Jessica Cobham-Dineen
Production company: @field.day.films
Post production: @thefarmpost.tv