British Asian actor, Faraz Ayub who's starred in films such as What's Love Got to Do With It?  and TV shows such as Ackley Bridge and the Bodyguard is now taking the lead in the BFI/Film 4 movie Sky Peals. Ayub plays the lead character ‘Adam', a young man who is coming to terms with the death of his estranged and troubled father, who believes he is an alien from outer space. Ayub talks to us all about his new project, filming on a 35mm camera and we ask what the future holds for Faraz Ayub.

Hi Faraz! Congratulations on your new film Sky Peals. What can you tell us about your new film?  

Thank you. It's a film set in Yorkshire about a man searching for his identity who goes on a mission to find his father which leads to more questions than answers. It’s a film from Moin Hussain and, if you're a fan of British film, I think you will really take to it. It is an audacious film that has a fantastic story that I hope resonates with audiences.

What drew you to the role of Adam? 

The vision of the director and the challenge of playing somebody completely different; someone very, very insular and the chance to play a character who develops slowly as he goes along. Adam is a very thoughtful, quiet and isolated individual who has shut himself away. 

How different is this role to any other roles you’ve played before? 

Very different. It was very isolating at times and you had to be extremely insular. There weren't many words in the script so it was really about conveying the story in other ways. It was a contrast to a lot of the TV work I’ve done like Screw, for example, whcih had more pace and energy.    

What are your memories of filming?

A lot of hard work! But also working closely with Moin was a great experience he is a very collaborative director.  Also working with Natalie Gavin who plays ’Tara'. She’s a wonderful actress who I got along with very well. 

You’re in every scene and it’s filmed on 35mm, so was there a big difference in how you rehearsed and filmed Sky Peals? 

Yes there were several rehearsals that took place before where we got together with the actors and workshopped scenes. The character had to be ready before shooting begins to a degree because you don’t have many takes. That’s the main difference, but Moin allowed a lot of creativity to take place despite that. The challenge was you always had to be really prepared.

The film includes themes about loss and identity, but it’s also about other forms of life out there. Do you believe in extra terrestrials? 

No I don’t. I think what makes the film’s themes about loss and identity resonate is it's universally relatable. Audiences fee that it speaks to them. 

What is it about British independent film that makes it so unique? 

British indies are very much based on authenticity and there are some great cinema makers here. I think British cinema is underrated, actually. There are some exciting filmmakers coming up like Sam Mahsud, who made a film called My Pure Land which I encourage people to check out.

What other British indie’s have you seen recently that you really loved?

I watched 'In Camera' by Naqqash Khalid. The movie asks a lot of questions and the performances were well thought out. 

Are there any other exciting projects in the pipeline that you can tell us about?

Unfortunately the nature of the game today is that you can’t talk about anything. But there are projects I am definitely looking forward to doing. Hopefully I can reveal all the details soon, so stay tuned. 

Lastly, if you had the opportunity to ReVamp anything in the world. What would it be and why?

Oh God I wouldn’t take the responsibility, but if I could change one thing it would be to end racism completely. Racism is a disease that destroys lives. Getting rid of it for good should be the mission. 

Sky Peals hits cinemas on 9th August.