Communiqué

Deaf from birth, he seeks a fresh start after a year in a refugee camp in “Name Me Lawand” on POV – Sept. 9 at 10 pm

Posted on: Tuesday, September 3, 2024

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POV, the multi-Emmy® and Peabody award-winning documentary series, recounts the powerful story of Lawand, a young Kurdish boy, deaf since birth and his transformative journey to communicate through learning British Sign Language (BSL) in Name Me Lawand. The moving film is directed and written by Edward Lovelace (The Possibilities are Endless), and the producers are Edward Lovelace, Fleur Nieddu (Name Me Lawand), Sam Arnold (Name Me Lawand), Beyan Taher (Salaam Dunk), Neil Andrews (Beats by Dre ‘Defy The Noise’) and Marisa Clifford (Beastie Boys Story).Name Me Lawand will make its national broadcast premiere on POV Monday, September 9, 2024 at 10 pm and available to stream until December 8, 2024 at pbs.org, and the PBS App.

In Name Me Lawand, the protagonist of the film, deaf since birth, is a five-year-old boy whose future in Iraq looks destined to be limited and lonely. In desperate search of a better life in a world where he can communicate, his parents decide to leave their home. After a perilous trek to England and a year in a Dunkirk refugee camp, the help of a deaf volunteer brings them to Derby, where Lawand joins the Royal School for the Deaf. As he grows older, the film follows his dramatic progress learning British Sign Language, revealing a bright, charismatic and inquisitive boy who discovers friendship and a new way to express himself. But just as Lawand is joyfully finding his place in the world, will the British government allow the family to stay or face deportation?Employing a striking lyrical and observational visual style, and an ambient score, writer/director Edward Lovelace spent four years filming Lawand and learning British Sign Language, truly immersing himself in Lawand’s world. In this moving and inspiring portrait, Lovelace follows Lawand’s evolution from extreme isolation to vibrant self-expression. This is a story about the strength and freedom that language gives us (whatever form it takes), a family’s unconditional love, and the power of friendship and community.“Telling Lawand and Rawa that one day their story would be shared outside of their local community, and maybe even across the world, was a magical moment,” said Edward Lovelace, director of Name Me Lawand. “To see them begin to believe that their journey, that their light, would be celebrated by a large audience changed them. I could see it. I think they felt seen, and felt like their resilience and self belief wasn’t invisible. POV broadcasting their story is the realization of that dream. That is its significance. It’s everything to them and to the film team.”

“Director Edward Lovelace pushes the boundaries of storytelling in his beautiful, cinematic film Name Me Lawand,” said Chris White, Executive Producer, POV. “He uses the power of the medium to, both, document and emulate Lawand’s experience as a deaf child so

audiences don’t lookat him but empathize with him. The spirited film also demonstrates the lengths parents will go to ensure their children can embrace with confidence their true selves.”