Letitia Wright Makes Her Directing Debut with New Short Film Highway to the Moon
Letitia Wright, known for her role in Black Panther, will make her directorial debut with her short film Highway to the Moon, which will premiere on May 31 at the South London Film Festival.
The Guyanese-British actress wrote, directed, and produced the coming-of-age fantasy drama, highlighting the experiences of young Black Men whose lives have been abruptly taken.
Kenyah Sandy portrays Micah, a young man who ends up in the Inbetween, a mysterious realm between life and death after his life suddenly ends. As he navigates the Inbetween, he meets a group of young men who, together, confront what it means to be a Black boy in today’s world. Through these experiences, the group learns more about themselves while empowering each other to embrace empathy and self-worth.
Wright told Variety she was inspired to create Highway to the Moon in response to the ongoing knife crime crisis in London and to spark important conversation around dissecting its root causes. She calls the short film a “love letter to young Black men all over the world.”
In recent years, the knife crime rate in the United Kingdom has risen significantly. Knife crime is considered a violent act in which a knife is used to threaten or harm another individual or individuals. As the population of Black people in London is less than 14%, the knife crime crisis affects Black individuals disproportionately, according to Reuters.
In a statement, Wright expressed, “Highway to the Moon was born from both my personal experience and personal loss. The film is my way of exploring joy, love, and unity, and I want to show these boys in a way that is not connected to a stereotype, but instead explores their emotions, complexities, hopes, dreams, disappointments and fears, and allows them to see themselves as worthy, with lives that have meaning.”
She continued, “I felt it was crucial to premiere the film at a festival that supports emerging filmmakers in our community. The South London Film Festival’s target audience aligns with the young people I aimed to reach with this film, and I hope it resonates with them. Through this journey of creating my debut film, I’ve grown even more as an artist and want to continue discovering and telling powerful stories that inspire me, and that connect with an audience.”
The South London Film Festival will be held at the Picturehouse Ritzy Cinema in Brixton. The festival will take place from May 31 to June 14. To buy tickets and find out more, click here.
