Highlights:
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BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Imran Perretta releases Ish, exploring teenage friendship, race, and policing in Britain.
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The story is inspired by Perretta’s own teenage experiences.
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A stop-and-search incident disrupts the bond between friends Ish and Maram.
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Themes focus on self-determination, identity, and belonging.
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Leads are real-life best friends, bringing authentic chemistry to the film.
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The film encourages audiences to reflect on friendships, personal growth, and young people’s challenges.
BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Imran Perretta has released Ish, a film that focuses on friendship, race, and the realities of policing in Britain. Known for his earlier work The Destructors, Imran Perretta said the new film reflects on his own teenage experiences and the friendships that shaped those years.
“It was an excuse to go back to those times and relive what it means to have friendships that are so deep in your teenage years,” Imran Perretta explained. “Even though what happens between the boys is difficult, there’s also joy and heartbreak.”
Imran Perretta on Stop-and-Search and Its Impact
At the center of Ish is a stop-and-search encounter that changes the lives of two teenage boys, Ish and Maram. For Imran Perretta, the intention was to show the scene as it happens in reality, without unnecessary dramatization.
“I wanted to shoot that scene in a way that reflected how it unfolds in real life—the pauses, the waiting, the trauma of seeing a young boy step out. I didn’t try to overthink it. I just wanted to give it the rhythm and emotional weight it has in real life,” he said.
This focus ties into a larger body of work where Imran Perretta examines how state power and government policy shape people’s intimate lives. Stop-and-search policing, in his view, is not simply a public spectacle but an event that affects a young person’s sense of self and relationship with authority.
Friendship, Identity, and Self-Determination
While identity and belonging are strong themes, Imran Perretta prefers to frame the narrative in terms of self-determination. He explained: “Identity as a notion is manifold. Really, it’s about finding yourself in a nuanced way. I wanted the actors to bring themselves to it. That way it becomes more contemporary, more true to their experience as young people.”
This approach highlights how Imran Perretta combines personal experience with broader cultural commentary, allowing the film to resonate with both individual and collective struggles around race and belonging in Britain.
Writing From Life: Imran Perretta’s Collaboration with Enda Walsh
Drawing from his own life posed challenges for Imran Perretta. To create distance, he co-wrote the script with Enda Walsh. “Sometimes when you write from your life, it can feel problematic, like you’re lying to make it fit a narrative. Sharing the writing meant I didn’t have to hold on so tightly. And when the boys played it out, it became their story. That was freeing, both creatively and personally.”
By stepping back from complete control, Imran Perretta allowed the film to evolve beyond autobiography and into a story that felt authentic for the cast and audiences alike.
Imran Perretta on Casting Real-Life Friends
Authenticity was central to the project. Together with casting director Laura, Imran Perretta auditioned nearly a thousand boys in Luton, prioritizing non-actors from the community. The final casting of Farhan and Yahya happened by chance but added depth to the film.
“The chemistry was off the charts. They’d been building it since they were kids. We didn’t have to work on it at all,” said Imran Perretta. The two leads, who have been best friends since nursery, brought their lived experience of friendship directly into the story.
Supporting the Young Cast
None of the young actors had acted before, which shaped how Imran Perretta approached directing. He compared his role to that of an older brother, focusing on ensuring the boys felt valued and safe. “Film sets are pressurised environments. Our job was to make sure the boys felt valued, so they could express themselves freely. None of them had acted before, but they gave everything of themselves. It felt like a family.”
The Importance of Stillness in Imran Perretta’s Work
In Ish, quiet moments are as important as dramatic ones. Imran Perretta emphasized the role of silence in storytelling: “Life is filled with silence and stillness, and so are friendships. Falling asleep under a tree, waiting at a bus stop, drifting off after watching something troubling—those moments carry their own weight. They’re just as important as the high drama.”
This choice reflects Imran Perretta’s wider filmmaking style, which avoids spectacle in favor of small, intimate details that reveal emotional truth.
What Audiences Should Take From Ish
For Imran Perretta, the aim of Ish is to spark personal reflection. “I hope audiences think about their own friendships and heartbreaks. And I hope they see that it’s okay to leave a relationship, whether with a best friend or a parent—that grief can be a positive energy. Beyond that, I want people to stay aware of the lives of young people, and the very adult things they have to contend with.”
By presenting teenage friendship through the lens of race and policing, Imran Perretta invites audiences to reconsider how structural issues intersect with personal relationships.
