From its roots in Luton to acclaim on the international festival circuit, Imran Perretta’s debut demonstrates how National Lottery funding helps bring underrepresented stories and distinctively British voices to the screen. In a full-circle moment, Imran Perretta’s urgent debut feature Ish celebrated its premiere in Luton, the origin place and setting of this powerful story. Since 1994, the National Lottery has generated over £53 billion for good causes across the UK. Ish (2025) Courtesy of Primal PicturesThe BFI funding helped Perretta develop his filmmaking talent. Speaking about the impact of the BFI’s National Lottery Good Causes funding, Perretta shared: “I want to say a huge thanks to National Lottery Good Cause funding through the BFI that we received to make Ish.