Letitia Wright’s Highway to the Moon Turns Grief into Art in Her Directorial Debut

Letitia Wright’s Highway to the Moon redefines grief through poetry, genre, and hope — now streaming on WeTransfer’s YouTube channel.

Review: Letitia Wright’s Highway to the Moon — A Haunting Meditation on Grief, Violence, and Transcendence

BAFTA-winning actress and producer Letitia Wright (Black Panther, Small Axe) steps behind the camera with astonishing purpose in her directorial debut, Highway to the Moon — a poetic, genre-blending short that turns pain into power. Released worldwide today via WeTransfer’s official YouTube channel, the film expands on the emotional and spiritual depths Wright has long conveyed onscreen, now through her own creative lens.

Commissioned by WePresent, WeTransfer’s arts platform, and produced by Wright through her company 3.16 Productions, Highway to the Moon has already made an impressive festival run — from BFI London Film Festival to HollyShorts, where it earned a Best Sci-Fi nomination at the Oscar®-qualifying festival. It’s now officially Oscar® and BAFTA-qualified, and for good reason: Wright’s vision is cinematic, heartfelt, and deeply necessary.

At its core, Highway to the Moon is a coming-of-age fantasy drama that confronts the devastating impact of knife crime through a lens of surreal spirituality. The film draws inspiration from a real-life tragedy — the killing of a close friend’s family member — transforming grief into a layered meditation on violence, memory, and resilience.

“This film came from a deeply painful place,” Wright has shared. “After witnessing the impact of that loss, I wanted to create something that could speak to the silence around grief—particularly for young people—and open space for healing.”

Set in a near-future limbo, the story follows a group of young Black men who awaken in a dreamlike desert landscape, unsure if they are alive or dead. Among them is Kenyah Sandy (Small Axe), joined by Aboulaye Touray, Sekou Toure, Victor Prescott Jr., Lamar Waves, Rachel Sophia-Anthony, and Treva Etienne (Bosch). Together, they embody both the fragility and the strength of youth lost too soon.

Visually, the film is mesmerizing — blending grounded emotion with speculative world-building, evoking the mythic energy of films like The Cell or The Tree of Life but rooted in contemporary Black British life. Wright’s direction captures that paradox of mourning and majesty — the idea that even in tragedy, there is poetry.

What makes Highway to the Moon so special isn’t just its aesthetic precision or technical craft — it’s the intention behind it. Beyond its festival acclaim, the film will be screened across UK schools and youth organizations, sparking conversations about violence, grief, and mental health. It’s an act of activism as much as art.

There’s a line somewhere between loss and liberation, and Highway to the Moon walks it beautifully. For Wright, this isn’t just a directorial debut — it’s a declaration. She’s arrived not only as a leading performer but as a voice for her generation.

Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)

A powerful, spiritually charged short that transforms tragedy into healing. Letitia Wright’s filmmaking debut is intimate, fearless, and unforgettable.

Highway to the Moon is available now on WeTransfer’s official YouTube channel, and continues its international festival run through HollyShorts London and BFI London Film Festival.