Name Me Lawand (PG)
Directed by Edward Lovelace 

THE power of language and community are explored in this awe-inspiring portrait of a young deaf Kurdish boy desperately trying to find his own voice in Britain. 

Four years in the making, the documentary, written and directed by Edward Lovelace, follows Lawand Hamad Amin who up to the age of five could not communicate in any way with his family, being profoundly deaf since birth. 

His parents decided to leave their home in Iraq in pursuit of a better life for Lawand. After a treacherous journey and a year spent in a Dunkirk refugee camp, a deaf volunteer assisted them and the family opted to head to Derby. There Lawand enrolled in the Royal School for the Deaf where he started learning British Sign Language (BSL) which opened up his whole world for the very first time. 

You watch this very shy, introvert and isolated youngster slowly transform on camera into a bold and confident young man who is full of ideas and is finally making friends and cannot stop talking via signing. His mother and father wanted him to learn to speak so he would not stand out and be victimised for being different. But Lawand chose to sign and not to talk. 

During the making of the film Lovelace learnt BSL in order to bond with Lawand; his older brother Rawa joins in, while the parents are more reticent.  

Just as Lawand is blossoming the family is faced with deportation by the Home Office. 

It is heartwarming to see the school and the local community rally round to help Lawand fight to stay in Derby as these faceless bureaucrats hold his fate in their hands. It is both harrowing and heartbreaking to watch. 

Meanwhile, employing a striking visual style, the film captures Lawand’s development from being voiceless to becoming a vocal member of the deaf community fighting for their rights and it aims to show what can happen when someone is given the freedom to express themselves in their language of choice. 

It is both an inspirational and touching depiction of a remarkable youngster battling for his rights and against the system. 

Out in cinemas today