Letitia Wright and The Crown's Josh O'Connor to star in Irish indie film Provision

BAFTA-winning Black Panther and Small Axe actor Letitia Wright has been slated to star in a feature film about a young Nigerian woman battling Ireland's asylum system, titled Provision.

The forthcoming drama, also starring the God's Own Country breakout star Josh O'Connor, comes from Irish writer-director Frank Berry.

Josh O'Connor recently landed a Golden Globe for his much-lauded portrayal of Prince Charles in Netflix's The Crown.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, upcoming indie film Provision will tell the story of Ishtar Deresse (Wright), a young African woman fleeing persecution from criminals in her home country of Nigeria due to drug debts her deceased brother left behind.

Ishtar spends over two years in Ireland’s asylum system, and during this time she stays at various remote and over-crowded centres around the country, where she lives under a constant threat of deportation.

After watching the family she shared a room with be deported, Ishtar is approached by a new security guard Conor Healy (played by O'Connor) who offers her the use of the kitchen at night to cook her own food due to his underlying feelings of guilt for role in the deportation. Having spent time in prison, Conor empathises with the residents - especially Ishtar’s traumatic past.

The more Ishtar and Conor learn about each other, the more their friendship develops. However, their growing connection, and any possibility of a future together, comes under frequent threat and disruption. The Direct Provision environment means that asylum seekers are deemed to be just numbers in a dehumanising system.

Frank Berry highlighted the heartbreak within Ireland's penal system in his 2017 feature Michael Inside. Shooting is due to start on Provision in April in Ireland.