Imran Perretta’s multi‑award‑winning debut feature Ish will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 31 July 2026. BFI Distribution will handle the release after its acclaimed festival run. The film premiered at Venice Critics’ Week. It won the Audience Award there. Later, it screened in competition for the Sutherland Award for First Feature at the BFI London Film Festival. In December, producer Dhiraj Mahey received the BIFA (British Independent Film Award). He won the award for Breakthrough Producer for his work on the film. A BFI Player release is planned for September. This allows audiences across the UK to discover the film at home after its theatrical run.
Story: friendship, policing and coming of age in Luton
The story is set and shot within the South Asian and Middle Eastern community in Luton. Ish follows 12‑year‑old best friends Ish (Farhan Hasnat) and Maram (Yahya Kitana). They navigate childhood amid political tension and personal loss. The boys briefly escape their everyday realities through football, gaming, and shared stories. They build a bond out of play. Loyalty and imagination strengthen their connection. A police stop‑and‑search targets Maram. Ish manages to run away. Their friendship is shaken. Both grapple with fear, guilt, and the growing pressures around them. The consequences affect every part of their lives. They struggle to understand the men they are becoming. Letting go proves to be the hardest part of growing up.
Style and influences: a black‑and‑white poetic coming‑of‑age
Imran Perretta wrote and directed the film. Enda Walsh (Hunger) co-wrote it. Ish is shot in black and white by cinematographer Jermaine Canute Edwards (My Father’s Shadow). The film is not a standard contemporary urban drama. Instead, it positions itself as a classical coming‑of‑age story. It draws inspiration from the poetic realism and emotional clarity of Satyajit Ray’s The Apu Trilogy*. It also takes cues from Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves* and François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows*. Additionally, it incorporates the stark honesty of Bill Douglas’s trilogy. Its visual simplicity and quiet observational style create an intimate portrait of boyhood, migration and state violence in modern Britain.
Imran Perretta and the cast
London‑based writer, director, composer and visual artist Imran Perretta first achieved critical acclaim in contemporary art. He received the Turner Prize bursary in 2020 for his film work The Destructors. It was exhibited widely in major UK and international institutions. With Ish, he joins British filmmakers like Clio Barnard and Steve McQueen. They are making the transition from gallery spaces to narrative cinema. This transition pushes the boundaries of visual storytelling. It also enhances political engagement.
The film’s young leads are newcomers Farhan Hasnat and Yahya Kitana. Both are from Luton and have been friends since childhood. They were cast through an open call before taking on their first on‑screen roles. Singer‑songwriter Joy Crookes, a Mercury Prize and BRIT nominee, makes her acting debut as Ish’s sister Samira. The cast is completed by acclaimed actors Sudha Bhuchar (After Love, Mogul Mowgli, We Are Lady Parts) and Avin Shah (Everest, Land of the Blind).
Production, financing and distribution
Ish is produced by Dhiraj Mahey and Bennett McGhee for Primal Pictures, in association with Good Chaos and Home Team. Developed with BBC Film, the feature is financed by BBC Film and the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding). UK media financier Calculus Media and Out of Order provide additional support. Global Constellation, a Vuelta Company, brokered the UK/Ireland distribution deal. BFI Distribution represented the filmmakers. The finished film runs 89 minutes and is classified as UK / 2025 / 89 mins / cert tbc.
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