BAFTA winner Letitia Wright steps confidently behind the camera with Highway to the Moon, a haunting, visually arresting short that blends grounded realism with speculative flair. Commissioned by WePresent and produced through Wright’s own 3.16 Productions, the film marks a striking directorial debut for the Black Panther and Small Axe star, one that positions her as a filmmaker of rare emotional clarity and visual boldness.

Inspired by a real-life tragedy, the fatal knife attack of a close friend’s family member, Highway to the Moon transforms personal grief into a work of meditative power. Set in a near-future dreamscape, the story follows a young woman navigating the emotional and spiritual aftershocks of youth violence. The narrative is elliptical, almost mythic, unfolding less through plot than through texture, tone, and imagery.

Wright’s command of mood is undeniable. Working with an emerging ensemble that includes Aboulaye Touray, Kenyah Sandy (Small Axe), and Treva Etienne (Bosch), she draws out performances of quiet intensity. Each character feels suspended between worlds, the living and the departed, the real and the imagined, mirroring the film’s own liminal space between genres.

Visually, the short is a stunner. Its painterly cinematography and atmospheric design recall the ethereal realism of Barry Jenkins or Kahlil Joseph, but Wright’s voice is distinctly her own: lyrical, searching, and infused with spiritual inquiry. The sci-fi undertones are understated yet effective, serving as a metaphor for transcendence rather than spectacle.

Following its premiere at the South London Film Festival, Highway to the Moon has earned a coveted slot at the BFI London Film Festival and nominated for Best Sci-Fi nomination at HollyShorts in Los Angeles, making it Oscar- and BAFTA-qualified, an impressive trajectory for a debut short. But Wright’s ambitions extend beyond awards; the film will also screen in UK schools and youth organizations as part of a nationwide initiative addressing knife crime and mental health awareness.

“If this film can help just one young person feel seen,” Wright has said, “then it’s done what it was meant to do.” That sincerity pulses through every frame. Highway to the Moon is both a lament and a benediction, a call for empathy delivered with elegance and conviction.

Verdict: A visually rich and emotionally resonant debut that confirms Letitia Wright as a filmmaker to watch. Highway to the Moon turns grief into grace, and social pain into art.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Mark Damson