He’s starred alongside household names such as Idris Elba and Tom Hardy, but now Roland Manookian is ready to release his own work with directorial debut ‘The Sun Also Rises’. He chats to Graham Falk about learning from filmmakers Guy Ritchie and Nick Love and why he wants to bring ‘working class’ stories to the big screen.

He’s worked alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood, but British actor Roland Manookian is ready to move behind the camera for the first time, as he gets set to launch first feature film ‘The Sun Also Rises’.

The British actor is perhaps best known for his role as ‘Zebedee’ in popular British hooligan film ‘The Football Factory’ but starred in box office hits ‘Rise Of The Footsoldier’ and Guy Ritchie’s ‘RockNRolla’.

Now, after 22 years in the acting business, Manookian is ready to tell his own tales.

The movie, set for release later this year, makes a sharp and unexpected departure from the 43-year-old’s previous acting work, with his first feature length tackling the subject of domestic violence.

Described as complex and emotionally-charged, the film focuses on Raye, a women trapped in an abusive relationship, with the film charting her struggle to survive, her journey to escape, and how the cycle of violence affects everyone who comes into contact with it.

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Manookian says: "What we tried to do was to edge away as much as we could from voyeurism – sometimes what you don't see is more harrowing.”

Rise Of The Footsoldier and Football Factory star Roland Manookian on why he wants to tell 'working class story' with directorial debut