Riz Ahmed's 'Sound of Metal' awarded best film at Zurich International Film Festival

Actor stars as a drummer dealing with the sudden loss of his hearing

Riz Ahmed-starrer Sound of Metal is winning big at the 15th Zurich  International Film Festival. Darius Marder's debut feature won the Golden Eye for best film at the prestigious film awards and has received raving reviews from critics.

The British-Pakistani actor portrays the character of Ruben, a drummer who loses his hearing in the midst of a nomadic music tour with Lou (Olivia Cooke), and finds solace in the deaf community.

Before filming, Ahmed embarked on intensive six-month drumming lessons. But still, he claimed that his skills are not up to scratch. “I should not play the drums at all,” he said in an interview with Deadline. “Luckily the kind of genre that Ruben exists in is one that is more about passion than technical prowess. It’s very much a cathartic form of expression for him.”

PHOTO: FILE

The physicality of the musical stint also proved a full-on workout. “Drumming is great cardio,” he chimed. “I’d be in a sweaty studio in Brooklyn all day, just dripping sweat.”

That would be enough work for some actors, but as Ruben begins to panic over his deafness, he is gripped by his addiction issues, so Ahmed also delved into researching that. “I’ve been in and around that world and seen up close what addiction can do to people,” he claimed during the interview. “It’s something that I’ve been intimately familiar with.”

Riz Ahmed makes it to GQ's best dressed list 

There was another challenge for Ahmed too. He had to learn American Sign Language. “I was very grateful to Jeremy Stone, who was my ASL teacher,” he said. “He was someone at the heart of the deaf community in New York who really welcomed me.”

Ahmed acing is best known for roles such as Reluctant Fundamentalist and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Other than his political and humanitarian activism and acting skills, the star was recently listed as one of the most stylish men in music by GQ Australia.

PHOTO: FILE

Nicknamed Riz MC, Ahmed is also known as a VMA award-winning rapper among a myriad of creative hobbies. He is also penning a series for BBC Studios called Englistan.

Aside from Sound of Metal winning big at this year's Zurich International Film festival, Danish star Trine Dyrholm took home best actress honors for her commanding performance in Queen of Hearts, in which she plays a successful career woman who seduces her own stepson.

Alexander Nanau's Collective, a look at a Romanian newspaper investigation into hospital corruption, was also awarded the Golden Eye for best documentary.

Sound of Metal had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2019.

Have something to add to the story? Share in the comments below.