In Lebanon, a single, middle-aged woman deals with the effect societal opposition to interfaith marriage has had on her life, while a young couple vows to sustain their love in the face of this opposition.

Lama and Fouad are very much in love. He is Christian and she is Muslim. Will their love survive in a society that will not allow them to marry across the religious divide?

Marita, a woman in her mid-forties, has never forgotten her first and only true love - a forbidden love that blossomed during the Lebanese civil war.

In Algeria, a hair salon becomes a haven for women constrained by the societal traditions they are forced to live by. The Beauty Salon is one of the few social spheres in Algeria where women can discuss their lives freely. Here we meet Lila, who was prevented from marrying the man she loved because his mother disapproved of her smoking, of her western dress, and of the fact that Lila had visited Paris. LOVE AND MARRIAGE traces the customers' (and hair dressers') lives; lives that have been embroiled by tradition and rebellion.

Select Accolades

• 2001 Middle Eastern Studies Association Film Festival