Azadi Moghadam was born in Tehran. She filmed her first documentary, “Kahrizak — Tajrish,” in 2015. She published Simia, a professional theater magazine, while she was a student in university.
“The Broker” will premiere at the 2018 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival on April 28.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
AM: This film is about a marriage agency in Tehran run by a couple of women. Dating agencies are not common in Tehran, however, these women run their business using their own methods they created based on religious principles.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
AM: The complexity of human relationships and the clients’ [inability] to find a reliable and safe relationship. Most clients were disappointed not to find someone suitable for themselves.
In addition, the methods used in the office were interesting to me. The Brokers’ faith, confidence, and perseverance in their job impressed me as well.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
AM: Well, I’m not sure about what they’ll think, but I myself was curious about two things: why are people unable to find spouses or partners on their own? Secondly, when they go to a marriage agency to find a match, will they ever feel “love”?
I guess that I hope they think about where “love” is in this whole thing.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
AM: Having a humanitarian perspective [while exploring] this complex situation was very important to me. I was surrounded by tons of details and lots of things going on in that agency, and I had to come up with a clear and relatively complete narrative.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
AM: I did not get funded. It would be very unfortunate for me if my limited budget had affected the film technically. On the other hand, I’m glad I didn’t get funded because I was free to do as I pleased in terms of narrative. I was able to shoot enough footage and develop the narrative based on what was happening in the course of shooting without any supervision.
As a result, during the first few months, I filmed everything. Although I had a plot in my mind, I couldn’t predict what was going to happen in the future. Something unpredictable could become part of the main narrative, and the other narrative threads could lose their importance.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at Hot Docs?
AM: Having my movie played at Hot Docs is very encouraging. This is a great opportunity to get in touch with a wide range of spectators and filmmakers and receive valuable feedback.
I am so honored to be selected in such an important festival, especially considering I had no producer or funding.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
AM: The best piece of advice was to keep going on my career path no matter what, and to try and overcome unexpected technical difficulties even if I was left without any support.
The worst advice was to direct interviews with people right in front of the camera in order to be more impressive. I took aside all the footage of interviews with main characters and clients and only used them as research material.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
AM: Try to make movies with enthusiasm and persistence. I don’t believe that cinema or literature is feminine or masculine, however, the feminine voice hasn’t been heard as much. The world has been interpreted in a masculine perspective and in order to reach a balance, women need to write, produce, and work more seriously and effectively.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
AM: I’m a big fan of Chantal Akerman. I adore her courage in making her films the way she does. There is a special joy for me in exploring life through watching her films. She lets the audiences go deep through the film with their minds and souls. For instance, I love the movie “News From Home” with its stunning ending.
W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. Many women — and some men — in the industry are speaking publicly about their experiences being assaulted and harassed. What are your thoughts on the #TimesUp movement and the push for equality in the film business?
AM: It’s very strange that the film industry is almost as old as women’s rights movements, and yet, even in developed societies in terms of human and civil rights, there is so much discrimination against women when it comes to salary. And the line between work and sexual harassment is still blurry. This is a matter of civil rights, but men and women are still unequal in so many ways, such as job opportunities and salaries.
I hope #TimesUp and the whole movement of breaking the silence move towards a better mutual understanding between men and women, and don’t turn into an excuse to stigmatize or take revenge on one another.
