Actor Letitia Wright inspires pupils at the Into Film Festival

Last week, acclaimed actor Letita Wright (Black Panther, Small Axe) joined us at the Into Film Festival for two special events in Sheffield and Manchester, speaking to packed cinemas of pupils and teachers following screenings of her new short film, Highway to the Moon.

Written, directed, and produced by Wright, Highway to the Moon follows the experiences of young Black men whose lives have been tragically cut short. Set in a world between Heaven and Earth, the film is a moving coming-of-age fantasy drama that broaches the difficult issue of knife crime and uses it to explore themes of brotherhood, unity, forgiveness, and hope among young Black men.

Wright created the film in response to London's knife crime issue, aiming to provoke urgent dialogue around the problem's roots. More specifically, the film was inspired by the deaths of model Harry Uzoka and that of Kwasi Anim-Boadu - known as Junior, and the younger brother of a friend of Wright's - who were both killed in knife attacks in 2018.

Having previously referred to Highway to the Moon as a "love letter to Black men all over the world", Wright used the event to further expand on how she wanted to represent the cast of young Black boys in the film. "I wanted to showcase something different, show them in a different light, show them in a light of beauty - that was very important to me."

Wright recently spoke to The Guardian about her desire to have young people see her film and discuss its themes."It's for them, it's for young kids, so I've always planned that… Just bringing it directly to them and praying that it sparks the heart of someone."

Wright has seemingly achieved her goal, with the film having a huge impact on pupils across both Sheffield and Manchester screenings.

"The film was extremely inspirational, and I haven't seen anything like it before", said Aniya from Xaverian Sixth Form College, Manchester. "It portrays young Black boys as unique and as a brotherhood, and I haven't seen that before in the media, which is amazing to see. You can see where the future is going."

"It was great to see alternative representations of Black boys and that sense of community", said Tiana, also from Xaverian Sixth Form College. "In my own community, you rarely see that, so it's beautiful to see them come together and lift each other up. I hope my brother finds a community like that."

It wasn't just the young people with whom the film struck a chord, with Roxanne Reed, Film and Media Studies Teacher at Xaverian Sixth Form College, Manchester saying: "For me personally, it's had a real impact. It hit close to home, and it feels current, especially in Manchester, with rising knife crime. It was good, especially for young Black boys, to see different and positive representations, and I've got seventy pupils who are going to want to go back and unpick all this, which is really powerful".

Letitia has starred in a wide range of exciting projects, from hard-hitting dramas to Hollywood blockbusters, including everything from Aisha and Urban Hymn, to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Death on the Nile, as well as appearing in Steve McQueen's landmark anthology series Small Axe.

• Highway to the Moon is available to watch on arts platform WePresent (by WeTransfer)

The Into Film Festival continues across the UK until Friday 28 November, with thousands more free film screenings, special events, previews, and interactive Q&A sessions with screen industry professionals taking place, making the Festival the perfect opportunity to support young people in enjoying the big screen experience and exploring the world of film. And thanks to our partners at Fruit Bowl, a travel bursary is helping even more young people enjoy the big screen experience.

The Into Film Festival is possible thanks to the support of Cinema First and multiple partners across the cinema sector.