This afternoon BFI Distribution releases the UK trailer and poster for London-based writer, director, composer and visual artist Imran Perretta’s multi-award-winning feature debut Ish. The film opens in UK and Irish cinemas on 31 July 2026, including an extended run at BFI Southbank, followed by a BFI Player release on 7 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 The Apu Trilogy, Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows and the unflinching honesty of The Bill Douglas Trilogy.
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).
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.
Ish is released in cinemas in the UK & Ireland on 31 July 2026 preceded by a director Q&A tour around the UK – dates/cinemas to be announced. The film will be released on BFI Player on 7 September.
