Me, the refugee
BBC | The Documentary
IRAN, DENMARK, UK | Me, the refugee
What is it like to be taken away from your childhood home, to be brought to a strange new country where you are locked away?
That is what happened to reporter Sahar Zand when she became a refugee from her home country of Iran at the age of 12. It was a devastating experience for Sahar, her sister and her mother. They had to leave after her father got into political trouble with the regime – but it was the three female members of the family who had to fend for themselves as they sought a new life.
In this powerful and intimate documentary, she portrays the experience of being uprooted from home and the effects on one family. She recreates her uncomprehending flight from Iran: the many months of limbo in a refugee holding centre in Denmark; life on the run, and on the streets of European cities, always at the mercy of people smugglers. Sahar eventually found refuge in the UK where she has lived ever since – but the effects of that profound experience will never leave her.
In discussion with her sister and mother, Sahar explores the complex and often painful role reversals, deceptions, and sacrifices that the three of them experienced during those often desperate days.
Critics Choice - The Observer | BBC Radio 4
“Like Zand herself, listeners may have unanswered questions but the trade-off is a sense of privileged intimacy as Zand invites us on her emotional journey.” - The Observer
“Sahar Zand tells of being smuggled out of Iran with her mother and sister….particularly poignant are her conversations with her mother as they compare their memories of sadness, loss and disorientation.” - Financial Times
CREDITS
AUTHOR & PRODUCER | SAHAR ZAND
EDITOR | HUGH LEVINSON
COMMISSIONING EDITOR | STEVE TITHERINGTON