Name Me Lawand
2023 • 91’ • UK
Five-year-old Lawand is on a quest to find a world where there are people like him — people who will understand him. Since birth, Lawand has been profoundly deaf and unable to communicate with those around him. He undertakes a treacherous journey with his family from Iraq to Derby, home of the Royal School for the Deaf. But this new life soon comes under threat when the family face deportation. Along with members of the Derby community, they begin a new quest — a fight to stay in the place they now call home.
Director:
Edward Lovelace
Producer:
Fleur Nieddu
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Special Jury Award
— HotDocs 2023Children’s Resilience in Film Award
— Shine Global 2023Best Documentary Release [nominee]
— Big Screen Awards 2023Refugee Reporting Award
— One World Media 2023Junior Jury Award
— Budapest International Documentary Festival 2024Grand prix
— FIFDH 2024Best Documentary Feature
— RiverRun International Film Festival 2024Best Feature Documentary Film
— Festival Inclús 2024BFI London Film Festival
Buster Film Festival 2023
Bergen International Film Festival 2023
Windsor International Film Festival 2023
Ayjal Film Festival 2023
DOCNYC 2023
Mostly British Film Festival 2024
Sedona International Film Festival 2024
Oslo Dokumentarkino (HUMAN) 2024
Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival 2024
Millenium Festival 2024
Martha's Vineyard Film Festival 2024
Nouveaux Regards Film Festival 2024
ReelAbilities Film Festival 2024
Phoenix Film Festival 2024
Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival 2024
Amsterdam Kurdish Film Festival 2024
DocEdge 2024
Les murs ne servent à rien Film Festival 2024
Peloponnisos International Documentary Festival 2024
Le Grand Bivouac - International Documentary Film Festival 2024
Cinémathèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc 2024
ReelAbilities Columbus 2024
Filmmaker’s Biography
Edward Lovelace is known for his critically acclaimed work, including his award-winning third feature film co-directed with James Hall, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS (2014 – SXSW, BFI London Film Festival) and their VOLVO x SKY ATLANTIC documentary series HUMAN MADE STORIES (Cannes Lions, Tribeca Film Festival 2020). His previous work also includes A SONG STILL INSIDE (2020 – short narrative), KATY PERRY: PART OF ME (2012 – feature documentary), and WEREWOLVES ACROSS AMERICA (2010 – feature documentary). His most recent feature film NAME ME LAWAND (2022) won Best International Film at HotDocs 2023, received a Grierson Award 'Best Feature Documentary' nomination at BFI London Film Festival 2022 and has been nominated for a One World Media 'Refugee Reporting' Award. NAME ME LAWAND is being released by BFI Distribution in June 2023 across the UK & Ireland. He is currently developing a fiction feature with BBC Film and is in development for his next feature documentary.