On the 14th of November, 70 media studies students went to HOME cinema to watch Letitia Wright’s first film as a director to hear her opinion on the lives of young, Black boys: 

Wright has been in the entertainment industry ever since she was a teenager when she enrolled in Identity School of Acting at only 16. Her breakthrough happened with the role of Chantelle, a drug dealer, in 2011’s Top Boy. However, she gained global recognition in 2019 as the character Shuri, T’Challa’s sister, in Black Panther. Her role was reprised in 2022 when her character took over the responsibilities of Black Panther in Wakanda Forever, a tribute to Chadwick Boseman. 

Having only worked in the industry as an actress, Wright wanted to send a message in her own way, and decided to make a film herself. ‘Highway To The Moon’ is her directorial and screenwriting debut. The film is a coming-of-age fantasy drama that unravels the world after death and before heaven called ‘The Inbetween’ for young Black boys whose lives have been abruptly snatched away. In just 25 minutes, Wright successfully explored the importance of these boys and why they are pushed into violence towards each other. Louis, a Media Studies student, said “As a child of mixed heritage, watching others go through such a hard time and be lucky enough to not go through that myself really showed me how hard it is for others.”  Wright has clearly achieved her goal of inspiring young minds and sharing her message with those who can relate, having a huge impact on those who attended the trip. 

In a recent interview with The British Blacklist, Wright stated, “I want to show these boys in a way that is not connected to a stereotype.”  Another one of our Xaverian Media Studies student, Tara, felt the film really illustrated this; “The film was really touching and definitely made me tear up, I really hope this alternative representation of young Black boys can be seen in the media more often.” When it came to the reason for making the film, Wright opened about her friend’s younger brother, Junior Kwasi Anim-Boadu, who was killed in a knife crime. She also mentioned her own younger brother who stopped his friend from using a knife in school. 

 This film was a love letter to portray young Black boys with humanity, beauty and complexity, moving away from the negative stereotypes by emphasising their brotherhood: “I wanted to show them [Black boys] in a different light, show them in a light of beauty – that was very important to me.” Another Media student, Tyannah, said: “It was so refreshing to see positive representation of Black boys that challenges how they are in mainstream media. It shows there’s still hope for them to find a safe loving community” 

Wright told us about the casting process which was beautifully unique. For many of the characters, Wright would go to community centres and do acting activities with the young kids to see who took it seriously and who had the genuine talent to be part of her film. This secret auditioning process transitioned into months of paid acting lessons and created a bond between the actors, a brotherhood which she doesn’t see ever going away. 

The filming site was in Page, Arizona, in Antelope Canyon on Navajo tribal land where everyone had to get approved by the tribe to go onto the land. Wright explained how the shooting days could be very temperamental because of the weather which needed to be perfect to capture the beauty of the scenery, cinematography is such a significant part of the film. This clearly impressed many of the students, such as Tasnim who said, “the films message was beautifully established through the cinematography and score.” 

Wright uncovered the difficulties of switching from in front of the screen to controlling what goes on from behind the cameras. She revealed how she got a lot of advice from professionals and directors who she has previously worked with, including Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) and Steve McQueen (Small Axe). 

‘Highway To The Moon’ is more than just a powerful directorial debut for Letitia Wright; it is an urgent plea for self-reflection and a call to action. By presenting the aftermath of youth violence with gentle, fantastical imagery rather than graphic stereotypes that are so paramount in western media, Wright ultimately challenges viewers to shift their perspective and actively engage in nurturing young Black men in our society. The film directly asks us to be our ‘brother’s keeper’ and translate the empathy it inspires into real world change, ensuring more young lives reach their full potential. This film was commissioned by WeTransfer’s art platforms, WePresent, and is available to watch for free online.