Senior Citizen Kane: Ish

Screening as part of BFI's Rip it Up season, which explores and celebrates the changing face of youth rebellion, culture and expression on screen. 

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. After a police stop and search, where Maram is searched and Ish manages to run away, they wrestle to hold onto their friendship.

Written and directed by acclaimed artist 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 in the tradition of The Apu Trilogy, Kes and Ratcatcher.