Commissioned by WePresent (WeTransfer) and produced via 3.16 Productions, the film is Oscar® and BAFTA-qualified, selected for the BFI London Film Festival, and nominated for Best Sci-Fi at HollyShorts.

Rooted in the aftermath of youth violence and inspired by a real tragedy close to the filmmaker, Highway To The Moon channels personal pain into a lyrical meditation on memory, resilience and community.

Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel to hear Letitia Wright, Kenyah Sandy and Lamar Waves break down the film’s imagery, influences and emotional stakes.

The post Letitia Wright on ‘Highway To The Moon’: Directorial Debut, Ethereal Vision and Brotherhood appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Adam Deacon (2012)

Since 2012, the Kidulthood star and Anuvahood director had several days in court. Deacon was sectioned due to mental health troubles and received a restraining order from the now-disgraced Noel Clarke. But after beating his demons he began working again. His Righteous Villains part won him a Vegas Movie Award, he appeared in the Megan Fox film Rogue and is directing his second film Sumotherhood.

Juno Temple (2013)

Juno Temple has maintained a steady workload post-2013. Ranging from the odd Maleficent series to the experimental Unsane, and earning a lot of awards attention for her part in the beloved Ted Lasso. Temple’s work may seem small scale but no matter where she appears she’s always a highlight.

Will Poulter (2014)

His versatility was already known when he accepted his award. But since winning, Poulter was in the successful Maze Runner series, critical darlings Detroit and The Revenant, and highly considered genre projects Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Midsommar. Finally, with Poulter joining the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise as Adam Warlock his star will only continue climbing.

Jack O’Connell (2015)

After his stellar 2013-2014 output Jack O’Connell’s release schedule paused. But he returned in 2016s Money Monster and he scored another performance award for the affecting short film Home. Additionally, he led the acclaimed western series Godless. And he has been cast in Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s upcoming Lady Chatterley’s Lover adaptation. O’Connell has come a long way since Skins.

John Boyega (2016)

Outside of Star Wars, John Boyega’s moves were sometimes unsuccessful (Pacific Rim: Uprising) but Detroit earned him praise, and Small Axe: Red, White, and Blue won him a Golden Globe. His return as Moses in Attack the Block 2, and his part in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s forthcoming The Woman King looks set to continue showcasing Boyega’s unique voice.

Tom Holland (2017)

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was a sensation. After accepting his BAFTA Holland headlined his own Spider-Man trilogy and had supporting roles in the final Avengers movies. Aside from the MCU Holland starred in the well-regarded Devil All The Time and Onward but Dolittle and Uncharted had poorer reception. With a huge profile and his recent interesting project choices, what will Holland’s future hold?

Daniel Kaluuya (2018)

Get Out and Black Panther (which opened just before the 2018 BAFTAs), showed Daniel Kaluuya’s talent to the world. But magnificent appearances in Widows, Queen and Slim, and Judas and the Black Messiah (which won him an Oscar) cemented him as one of this generation’s best actors. We will soon see him in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Jordan Peele’s Nope.

Letitia Wright (2019)

Claiming her award after universally praised roles like the MCU’s Shuri and Nish in Black Mirror: Black Museum Letitia Wright gained further awards attention for Small Axe: Mangrove. She lent her voice to Sing 2 and joined Kenneth Branagh’s star-studded Death on the Nile adaptation. Currently, she is rumoured to become the lead in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However recent controversy has many questioning this.

Micheal Ward (2020)

Michael Ward secured BAFTA recognition for Top Boy‘s 2019 series and the controversial Blue Story. Since then, he received more awards nominations for his part in Small Axe: Lovers Rock. And with a starring role in Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light alongside Olivia Colman and Colin Firth coming up he may soon be a big name.

Bukky Bakray (2021)

From her explosive debut in Rocks, Bukky Bakray went on to star in the series You Don’t Know Me. For which she again received praise. She has several projects currently in production. Including the drama Self-Charm and the class-conscious thriller The Strays. After making a huge impact so quickly, Bukky is a talent to watch.

This concludes our look at the last ten years of BAFTA Rising Star winners. Who is your favourite BAFTA rising star and who do you want to see nominated in the future?

Also Read: BAFTA: Steering Towards Greater Inclusion

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Taking place in the ’70 but never as relevant as now

Today, on the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement, conversations and about injustice and racism are at the forefront of conversation, making Mangrove a very timely film. After having to close his previous bar, Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes) is now opening his Mangrove restaurant in Notting Hill. The restaurant isn’t only black-owned, but it’s also the place where the entire black community comes together to have a great time and enjoy Caribbean cuisine. The film does a great job of conveying the intimidation tactics and the Metropolitan Police used against the afro-Caribbean residents in Nottinghill, West London. As part of that, we see Frank’s friends and family are being harassed, and the numerous raids on his restaurant – and the burden that comes with this.

The more the police brutality increases, the more the black community stands up for their rights, and the more Mangrove becomes the place for activist meetings. Amongst the attendees are Darcus Howe (Malachi Kirby), Altheia Jones-Lecointe (Letitia Wright), Barbara Beese (Rochenda Sandall) and Frank himself. After many small riots, the black community organises a protest, on 9 August 1970, during which 150 people march to the local police station. Sadly, that results in a massive clash between the police and the Mangrove Nine, and that was the start of the 11-weeks lasting trial between Pc Frank Pulley (Sam Spruell) and the Metropolitan police and the “Mangrove Nine”. A trial that was a watershed moment in “race relations” within the UK.

Oscar-worthy film for many reasons

While Mangrove is being screened at film festivals around the world, it’s actually part of the BBC’s Small Axe series. We hope that the movies in that series will be eligible for the many award ceremonies because if so, Mangrove should be nominated in many Oscar categories.

The main categories would, without a doubt, be the acting ones. Wright (Black Panther) excels as Jones-LaCointe, the headstrong, feisty and supportive representative of the Black Panthers. Wright brings the dialogues with so much power and dignity that they will go straight to your heart. That protest speech is one we will never forget. Another standout in this movie is Parkes (Trick or Treat). Thanks to his performance, we feel the pain, the determination and the courageousness of Frank. The further the story goes, the more impactful the emotions become. His last scene in court will bring tears to your eyes.

They’re surrounded by an immensely strong cast of which every member brings raw emotions to the screen in his or her unique way. Spruell (Outlaw King) his performance as Pully is also on point. We feel the corruptive, violent and mischievousness characteristics of Pully coming through the screen. We also want to applaud the smaller but still memorable performances by from Llewella Gideon (Second Coming) and Jack Lowden (Dunkirk). Gideon’s portrayal as Aunt Betty, the witty, funny and blunt cook from the Mangrove, and Lowden performance as the barrister of the Mangrove Nine, bring a bit light to this extremely rough story.

We wouldn’t be surprised if the movie would also be selected in categories involving costume design, production design and original screenplay. Saying that McQueen and his crew bring such an authentic vibe to this movie would be an understatement. The real and genuine element is represented by the combination of the 35mm film shot by Shabier Kirchner (Only You), the brilliant period costumes designed by Lisa Duncan (Peripheral) and the fantastic production design provided by Helen Scott (Dark River). From the very first scene of the Rio, in which men are enjoying gambling, smoking and drinking, to the very last one, in which black and white people come together in the Mangrove, it all feels exceptionally authentic.

Impactful triumph

While Mangrove will be only available at the small screen for the moment, we hope that it finds its way to the cinemas. Not only because of its extremely relevance but also for the immense authenticity and strong performances.

Mangrove will premiere on BBC One and iPlayer on the 15th of November.

Rating: (4.5 / 5)

Also Read: Review: Kajillionaire

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The Favourite wins big

Already a favourite among critics, The Favourite scooped up seven awards on the evening, more than any other, including Outstanding British Film, Best Actress (Olivia Colman) & Best Supporting Actress (Rachel Weisz). Will The Favourite win big at The Oscars later this month? We’ll have to wait to find out.

Letitia wins EE Rising Star Award

The EE Rising Star Award is special as it is the only fan-voted award in the BAFTAs. This year’s winner was Letitia Wright. She had a stellar year in 2018, appearing in Black Panther, Ready Player One & Avengers: Infinity War. Letitia follows 2018 winner Daniel Kaluuya, who also starred in Black Panther

Netflix wins big with Roma

Roma picked up three awards for Best Film, Best Director (Alfonso Cuarón) & Best Foreign Language Film. Roma has been the first Netflix original film to garner such praise and recognition from the major industry awards – it is also nominated for 10 Oscar Awards. Netflix was infamously banned from The Cannes Film Festival in 2018.

First Man leaves empty handed

Despite being nominated in seven categories, First Man failed to pick up any awards. First Look tells the story of Neil Armstrong and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

See the full list of winners below

BEST FILM: ROMA Alfonso Cuarón, Gabriela Rodríguez

LEADING ACTRESS: OLIVIA COLMAN The Favourite

LEADING ACTOR: RAMI MALEK Bohemian Rhapsody

DIRECTOR: ROMA Alfonso Cuarón

COSTUME DESIGN: THE FAVOURITE Sandy Powell

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: ROMA Alfonso Cuarón, Gabriela Rodríguez

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS: BLACK PANTHER Geoffrey Baumann, Jesse James Chisholm, Craig Hammack, Dan Sudick

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER: BEAST Michael Pearce (Writer/Director), Lauren Dark (Producer)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ROMA Alfonso Cuarón

SUPPORTING ACTOR: MAHERSHALA ALI Green Book

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: THE FAVOURITE Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara

ORIGINAL MUSIC: A STAR IS BORN Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Lukas Nelson

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: BLACKkKLANSMAN Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel, Kevin Willmott

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public): LETITIA WRIGHT

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: RACHEL WEISZ The Favourite

MAKE UP & HAIR: THE FAVOURITE Nadia Stacey

DOCUMENTARY: FREE SOLO Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin

EDITING: VICE Hank Corwin

SOUND: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY John Casali, Tim Cavagin, Nina Hartstone, Paul Massey, John Warhurst

BRITISH SHORT FILM: 73 COWS Alex Lockwood

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION: ROUGHHOUSE Jonathan Hodgson, Richard Van Den Boom

PRODUCTION DESIGN: THE FAVOURITE Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton

ANIMATED FILM: SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord 

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM: THE FAVOURITE Yorgos Lanthimos, Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara

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