Imran Perretta’s award-winning Ish to be released by BFI Distribution on 31 July in UK and Ireland

Imran Perretta’s multi-award-winning debut Ish will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 31 July 2026 by BFI Distribution. The film premiered last year at Venice Critics’ Week, where it won the Audience Award, before going on to screen in competition for the Sutherland Award (for First Feature) at the BFI London Film Festival. In December, producer Dhiraj Mahey won the BIFA (British Independent Film Award) for Breakthrough Producer. A BFI Player release will follow in September.

Set and filmed in the South Asian and Middle Eastern community in Luton, Ish follows 12-year-old best friends, Ish (Farhan Hasnat) and Maram (Yahya Kitana) who are navigating childhood against a backdrop of political tension and personal loss. When the two boys hang out together they get to escape everyday realities. Their friendship is built on carefree moments – playing football, gaming, and sharing stories – but as they move into adulthood, the world around them begins to intrude. After a police stop and search, where Maram is searched and Ish manages to run away, they wrestle to hold onto their friendship. As the ripples take hold, the boys try to make sense of the men they are becoming – and how ‘letting go’ can be the hardest part of growing up.

Written and directed by Imran Perretta and co-written by Enda Walsh (Hunger), Ish was shot in black and white by cinematographer Jermaine Canute Edwards (My Father’s Shadow). The film is less contemporary urban drama and more a classical coming-of-age story. Its beauty and simplicity draw from the poetic realism of Satyajit Ray’s TheApu Trilogy, Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows and the unflinching honesty of The Bill Douglas Trilogy.

London-based writer, director, composer and visual artist Imran Perretta achieved critical acclaim in the world of contemporary art, receiving the prestigious Turner Prize bursary in 2020 for his work The Destructors, which has been shown in major institutions in the UK and internationally. He now follows in the footsteps of other notable British film directors who have transitioned from the world of contemporary art to filmmaking, such as Clio Barnard and Steve McQueen, often pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling.

The young leads in Ish are newcomers Farhan Hasnat and Yahya Kitana, local to Luton (and friends since childhood), appearing in their first acting roles after an open casting call. Singer/songwriter Joy Crookes, a Mercury Prize and BRIT nominee, makes her acting debut as Ish’s sister Samira. The cast also features experienced actors Sudha Bhuchar (After Love, Mogul Mowgli, We Are Lady Parts), and Avin Shah (Everest, Land of the Blind).

Ish is produced by Primal Pictures’ Dhiraj Mahey and Bennett McGhee, in association with Good Chaos and Home Team. Developed with BBC Film, the film is financed by BBC Film and the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, with additional support provided by UK-based media financier Calculus Media and Out of Order. The UK/Ireland distribution deal was brokered by Global Constellation, a Vuelta Company, with BFI Distribution on behalf of the filmmakers.