Embassy Theatre hosts the Premiere of documentary film 'My Name Is.'
In the Autumn term, Central was pleased to host the premiere of the documentary film My Name Is. in the Embassy Theatre.
The award-winning 20-minute mini documentary series follows individuals with non-western names, its link to their identity and pressures to conform to western norms. It developed as a de-centred research project in collaboration with Dr Javeria Khadija Shah, Central’s Programme Leader for Learning Development and Inclusion, and MA Acting for Screen alum Tony Giroux.
As a student of Dr Shah’s, Tony was moved by the story of how she had changed her name to ‘Jo’ as a teenager as a result of the name bias she experienced. Thus, the film was imagined as a way of pursuing this story further, exploring the nature of identity and the adoption of anglicised names in western contexts to ‘fit in’.
Told in five parts, the film centres the individual experiences of five people and examines the impact that name bias has had on their lives, identities and relationships. It also follows Dr Shah’s journey as she considers reclaiming her birthname.
Speaking to Chourouk Gorrab for The Spill, Dr Shah said:
“Embarking on the project journey for ‘My Name Is’ was a huge catalyst in pushing me towards finally reclaiming my name. As I shared in the film, it’s something I was grappling with for a while. When I watched the first edit of the film just before the pandemic, I was deeply affected by the stories of others as well as my own - so I made a decision and began to transition back to “Javeria” from “Jo” after 25 years. Watching myself back in the film is always emotional, and feels like a strange sort of time travel, as I witness a former version of myself in a dilemma around name and identity. Today, I feel whole again, being back in my given name.”
The film has received critical acclaim and is also being used in a variety of contexts as an educational tool, allowing for facilitated discussions, workshops and reflections on the significance of names to identity formation, the broader connection to societal issues and norms and the impact of name bias, as well as an examination of individual interactions and institutional practices.
All five parts of the film are now available to watch on YouTube here.
Find out more about My Name Is. by visiting the film’s official website or following the project on Twitter and Instagram.
Listen to Dr Javaria K. Shah talk about My Name Is. and her work developing and leading Central’s Black History 365 programme on the Bombshell Brunches Podcast, episode 054. Social Impact Through Story w/ Dr. Javeria Khadija Shah.
