Marry Me, Marry My Family - Series 2 (ATOM Study Guide)

In 2014, one in three couples married in Australia were born in different countries – 40,000 of our 120,000 weddings involved a blend of different religions, traditions and cultures. It's happening every Saturday across the country, and the numbers are rising. But the path to wedded bliss in these multicultural mixes is not always smooth; it's a case of cross-cultural courtship, conflict and eventually a celebration. This is a post-multicultural story, revealing Australia's further steps towards the effortless cosmopolitanism of the modern globalised world.

Marry Me, Marry My Family is about the battle to maintain cultural identity in a new country while also trying to integrate. It's also a twist on that very familiar Australian theme of second-generation migrants moving away from their parents and blending further into Australian society. These are marriages between the children of the post 70's migration waves, and they are not just marrying into the dominant white Anglo culture – they are marrying across immigrant cultures.

Marry Me, Marry My Family is loud and fun, it's full of garish colour, of laughter, tears and chaos. It's a love story with mostly happy endings – though there are times when we wonder if we'll ever get there. It's easy to watch, it's not worthy gruel – this is pure wedding cake – dazzling sweet icing on top with some hefty fruitcake beneath!

It's a story of multicultural Australia right now, a snapshot of 2017.

It's an update on how multiculturalism is working, the story of the brides' and grooms' parents who came here 20 or 30 years ago.

It's also a look into the future – these blended marriages, the children of these unions – they are a peek forward into Australia 2037, the new demographics and new attitudes of the nation that waits for us in the next generation of wedding vows.

Curriculum Links

Marry Me, Marry My Family would be suitable for middle and senior secondary students. The series would also be relevant to tertiary students studying in Cross Cultural Studies areas, Religion and Society, Social Work, Psychology and students interested in becoming Civil Marriage celebrants (you must complete a Certificate IV in Celebrancy offered by a Registered Training Organisation, such as TAFE).

These stories provide rich studies of some of the best aspects of cultural identity between different cultures and beliefs and same-sex marriages. Weddings may be big or small, conventional or original, but they are all public statements of partnership and commitment. Weddings may be challenging but are mostly entered into with optimistic intentions by the couples and their families.

General understandings addressed in the film:

• Cultural identity
• The challenges of modern multiculturalism
• Traditions that are part of different cultures and traditions
• Changing attitudes to marriage in Australian society

These ideas are all addressed in each story. Intercultural Understanding and Ethical Understanding are two of the General Capabilities that are addressed across a range of subject areas in the National Curriculum at every level.

Summary of links to the Australian Curriculum:

• Media (Years 10–12)
• English (Years 10–12)
• Humanities/History (Years 10–12)
• Civics and Citizenship (Year 10)

ATOM has also produced a study guide for Marry Me, Marry My Family - Series 1. This study guide is available for download here.