BAFTA Names Imran Perretta for 'Ish' After Venice Audience Win

Imran Perretta has been named to the 2026 U.K. BAFTA Breakthrough cohort, a group supported by Netflix. The designation follows the international festival run of his debut feature, Ish. The film secured the audience award at the 2025 Venice Critics’ Week.

The movie stars Farhan Hasnat, Yahya Kitana, and Sudha Bhuchar. It depicts two teenage friends, Ish and Maram, in the town of Luton. Their bond strains after a police stop-and-search incident. Perretta chose Luton to counter media narratives that focus primarily on crime in the city.

Perretta described the theatrical release as a new beginning rather than a conclusion to the festival circuit. He stated that the film's critical reception and box office results exceeded his initial projections. He characterized his current state as one of genuine happiness.

The film has found an audience beyond traditional cinephiles. Perretta noted screenings at community and activist events in Germany, the United States, and Russia. In Paris, programmers scheduled the film during a period of civil unrest. They cited its relevance to local debates on police power and community organizing.

Perretta attributes the film's resonance to a perceived authoritarian turn in Western nations. He pointed to expanded police powers in the U.S., France, Italy, and the U.K. He described surveillance and police interaction as universal experiences that spark conversation regardless of geography. He credited the film's specificity to its location in Luton.

Perretta is currently working on several creative projects. He has an exhibition at Tate Britain titled The Destructors. The show examines coming of age for Asian Muslim men in Britain after the September 11 attacks. He is also developing a new screenwriting project focused on property and land.

The new script explores the British concept of ownership. Perretta described it as a political exploration of social and emotional frictions. He noted that the benefits of ownership structures often accrue primarily to the ruling class.