How Luton shaped Imran Perretta’s film Ish: key details

Arts & Entertainment Desk 2026-10-30 13:42 2 min read

A young boy in a tracksuit holds a bright, glowing emergency flare at night.

Imran Perretta’s debut feature Ish grew from a teenage experience that stayed with him and a close connection to Luton. At a BFI Film Academy masterclass, the artist discussed how those roots shaped the film’s story, its production in Bury Park and a score built through collaboration.

A teenage encounter at the heart of Ish

Co-written, directed and composed by Perretta, Ish follows 12-year-old friends Ishmael “Ish” (Farhan Hasnat) and Maram (Yahya Kitana). A harrowing police encounter threatens their friendship, forcing the boys to face an adult world before they are ready.

Perretta said many scenes draw on his teenage years. He had a similar experience of being stopped and searched at 13, which he described as breaking his world open. That memory informed his interest in young people confronting experiences they are not prepared for.

How Luton shaped Imran Perretta’s film Ish: key details

Bury Park gave the film a local home

Perretta grew up in south London and often visited family in Luton, which he documented through photography and writing. Bury Park, where much of Ish was filmed, felt like a natural setting: Perretta said his Bangladeshi heritage drew him towards the area’s South Asian Muslim community.

Location manager Aly Ripo spent months getting to know residents. As word of filming spread, local people visited the monitor to watch footage, and some brought food for the crew, including a wedding-sized serving of biryani with a whole leg of lamb. Ripo’s involvement from the first draft helped her understand the film’s intended tone and themes.

Music and trust shaped the production

Cinematographer Jermaine Canute Edwards and Perretta discussed the film’s climactic fireworks scene as a moment of loss and near-reconciliation. The crew filmed the handheld sequence in eight minutes at the end of a day, Edwards said.

Perretta’s score blends rhythmic claps and drums with haunting vocals. English folk music entered the process during editing, after editor Adam Biskupski placed music from medieval-set films over footage of the boys in Luton. Perretta then translated that period feeling into his own score, using rhythm to build tension.

The masterclass also focused on the people behind a production. Perretta encouraged young filmmakers to find collaborators they trust and to take creative risks, even when others say an idea cannot be done.

Source: British Film Institute News

Context & actions About this article

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This article draws on the British Film Institute’s account of the masterclass and its reporting on the film’s production.

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