Demían Bichir to Executive-Produce Vincent De Luca’s U.S.-Mexico Border Immigration Documentary “Desert Angel”

Demían Bichir has earned his wings…

The 63-year-old Mexican Oscar-nominated actor and Danny Ramirez have joined Vincent De Luca’s U.S.-Mexico border immigration documentary Desert Angel as executive producers.

Demián BichirJava Films, which took worldwide distribution rights in January, has also revealed a mid-October release for the film, which has played a string of festivals including Austin, Palm Springs and Cleveland.

Ramirez is also adding the documentary to the burgeoning slate of Pinstripes, his newly formed production company with Tom Culliver.

Desert Angel is produced by Big Pup Film, Assembly Line Entertainment, Sons of Rigor and Sevana Films and Pinstripes, with Janek Ambros, David Bennett, Jillian Corsie, Dolores Delgado, De Luca, Ethan Downing and Séverine Tibi taking producer credits.

The film chronicles the work of Rafael Larraenza, a volunteer rescuer who has spent the last 30 years risking his life searching for migrants lost along the US-Mexico border.

Filmed across all southern border states over the course of five years, the documentary captures Larraenza’s relentless commitment, the emotional weight of each rescue mission, and the systemic forces shaping one of the most dangerous migration corridors in the world.

It also follows Indira, a mother who has spent years searching for her missing son Rodrigo, with her journey standing as a powerful testament to the anguish of countless families navigating the uncertainties of the crossing.

Bichir’s involvement brings a personal and professional resonance to the project. The Mexico City-born actor is one of the most decorated performers to bridge Latin American and Hollywood cinema.

He clinched an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in 2012 for his performance in A Better Life as an undocumented immigrant struggling to build a life in Los Angeles. Alongside drawing widespread critical acclaim, brought the immigration debate mainstream American cinema.

The actor went on to appear in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, Oliver Stone’s Savages, and the FX series The Bridge.

He most recently starred in the supernatural horror Black Phone 2 and Andy Garcia’s Diamond. In tandem, he has been a passionate advocate in favor of immigrants and their contribution, also penning a number of guest columns for Deadline over the years suggesting a more human approach.

Colombian-American actor Ramirez broke out as Joaquín Torres in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World, with other credits including Top Gun: Maverick and The Devil All the Time.

Off screen, he recently co-founded Pinstripes alongside Culliver, with an ambitious slate of projects in development including the soccer drama Baton, which counts Victoria Alonso and David Beckham among its producers.

“To have two incredible actors like Demián Bichir and Danny Ramirez join the film as executive producers is more than I could have hoped for. Demián is a tireless advocate for immigrants and Danny is a passionate champion of Latino voices and stories. Together, they will amplify these important conversations and foster much-needed empathy for people whose lives are mirrored in the film,” said director De Luca.

Lead producer Ambros echoed these sentiments, saying: “Having two brilliant actors and filmmakers who care deeply about the film is invaluable.”

Diego Luna Delivers Powerful Immigration-Themed Monologue While Guest-Hosting ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live”

Diego Luna is speaking out against U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

On his first night as a guest-host of Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday, June 23, the 45-year-old Mexican actor, director and producer delivered a powerful monologue on the importance of immigrants amid Trump’s “authoritarian policies.”

Diego Luna“I come from a galaxy far, far away, called México,” the Andor star said in his monologue.

In Kimmel’s absence, Luna will host the ABC late-night talk show for the whole week, saying it was one of his dreams to do so.

Luna touched on deportations in his monologue, noting, “English is not my first language. So, I hope you guys will help me if I get… What’s the word? Deported!”

The Mexican actor joked that Kimmel “was very smart to hand his show over to me just as Trump decided to go crazy and drop his bombs over the weekend. Thanks a lot Jimmy. Good luck!”

Luna got serious momentarily and said he wanted to address the issue affecting Los Angeles and the United States, “around immigration and the authoritarian policies of Donald Trump.”

“It is no small thing that a Mexican is hosting such an important show,” Luna said. “It’s a big deal and I really hope not to f**k it up.”

Luna recalled visiting the U.S. for the first time at the age of 20 following the success of Y Tú Mamá También and traveling to California for work, making L.A. a city he visited frequently.

“I spent great part of my earnings on laundry services and alcohol here. A lot of my brain cells died in this city,” he joked. “I met people that to this day are very close to my heart. Great things happened to me here. In fact, my son was born here. Yes, I have an Angeleno son. The only Mexican-American of the family, and I’ll always be grateful to Los Angeles for that and every Angeleno.”

Luna talked about how L.A. felt like home when he was away from home and took a jab at Elon Musk saying people liked to show off their Tesla’s before its founder “became a MAGA space Nazi.”

The actor said the community he found in L.A. that what holds all of us together are “our common roots. The people that lifted me up were mostly people that had left their countries to find a new life or the songs and daughters of immigrants that had come here in order to work and build a healthy enjoyable and dignified life away from their place of origin. A moment of that scale is not natural. Nobody leaves their land unless their survival depends on it.”

“All the people that I met share an unspoken gratitude to this country,” he continued. “A country that opened its doors to them. And the most beautiful thing of all is that all these immigrants brought their stories with them. They brought their loyalties, their love, their traditions, always with the openness to adopt new ones, to grow, and to complement each other in this vast cultural exchange.”

Luna noted that what makes L.A. great is people coming together “from different cultures and realities” agreeing “to give each other a chance and build something remarkable together,” adding, “This place is a powerful example of what’s possible of what can be achieved when we put empathy first.”

“I have never been able to fully understand how it is that someone like Donald Trump is able to acquire this level of power,” he said. “I always struggle to understand how his hate speech can take root in a country whose nature has always been a welcoming one. Today many people feel persecuted far too many people live in fear of taking their kids to school or going to places where they earn an honest living.”

He continued, “These people, they’re you’re neighbors, your friends, immigrants. This is very unfair. The multiple times that this country has had to rebuild itself, immigrants were always there to pick up the slack.”

Luna recalled the L.A. fires and how immigrant workers risked their lives to put the flames out.

“There are a lot of lies flying around about immigrants,” he added. “But I’m sure you have more than one story that can attest to the contrary. Today, they need to know that they’re not alone. These have been a dark few weeks. It is not acceptable, nor is it normal to separate families. Violence and terror are not OK. Immigrants need to know that their struggle is yours. Politicians have been dozing on this problem because it’s easier than acknowledging it, because this country benefits from the work of immigrants but refuses to recognize their importance. That is what needs to change. It’s about acknowledging the work of millions and how unfair it is that they have to live in hiding. The only solution is clear now, and it’s been clear for decades. Give them a path to legal certainty.”

Luna made a call for everyone to call their Congress representatives and support organizations that help immigrants in need.

“I hope what I said inspires you to get involved or look at this from a different point of view. If my comments have angered you, I just want you to know it was all written by Guillermo. Blame him,” Luna joke, ending his monologue on a light note.

Carolina Gaitàn to Star in the Female-Led Drama Thriller Series “Second Chance”

Carolina Gaitàn is getting her second chance…

The 38-year-old Colombian actress and singer will star in the drama thriller series, Second Chance.

Carolina GaitànGaitàn will star opposite Denise Richards and AnnaLynne McCord in the female-led series.

Alexis Ren and Tiffany Hines will also star.

Set to debut worldwide later this year, Second Chance is a 10-part series that tells the story of three domestic cleaning workers and their clients as they struggle to overcome their pasts and grapple with the challenge of creating a better future.

Gaitàn plays service worker Marianna in the series, who finds herself navigating “extraordinary and dangerous situations” alongside her two friends Shira (played by Ren) and Jackie (played by Hines).

The series will grapple with topics including diversity, xrights, immigration, women’s equality and organized crime as well as focusing on themes such as perseverance, identity and love, with the three female lead characters drawing on their innate strength as well as each other’s support to get through hard times.

Luke Goss, Hannah Ware, Jake Manley and Jerry Ferrara round out the cast.

USATV Productions are executive producing the series.

Gaitàn, who played Pepa Madrigal in Disney’s smash-hit animated musical, will next be seen in Andres Beltran’s Quicksand and Ileana D. Vasquez’s Perfidious.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Among Artists Offering Civic Lessons in Netflix’s Animated Series “We the People”

Lin-Manuel Miranda is giving a civics lesson…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, producer and playwright, the mastermind behind the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton, lends his voice to the new animated Netflix series We the People.

Lin-Manuel Miranda 

Created by Chris Nee and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, the 10-part series provides a range of civics lessons through three-minute music videos on topics that include the Bill of Rights, immigration and the courts.

In addition to Miranda, the series also features award-winning artists H.E.R., Brandi Carlisle, Bebe Rexha and others.

Miranda took on the topic of “The Three Branches of Government” episode, writing and performing the song “Checks and Balances,” alongside Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Daveed Diggs, Brittany Howard and Robert Lopez.

With its light hip-hop bear, the catchy number explains the checks and balances of the United States government.

Meanwhile, Jorge R. Gutierrez directs the immigration-themed episode, which features the track “American Citizen,” performed by Bebe Rexha.

The 46-year-old Mexican animator, painter, writer, voice actor, and production designer helms Rexha’s pop message that lets everyone know from the second they are born, they are an “American Citizen.”

The episode is full of visual treats showing how the country is one built from a nation of immigrants, as animated versions of Sofia Vergara, Steven Chen, Anousheh Ansari and Padma Lakshmi are all featured to illustrate the point.

We the People premiered on Sunday, July 4 on Netflix.

Lifetime Gives Green Light to “Torn From Her Arms” Movie Inspired by Jimena Madrid’s Separation from Mother at U.S. Border

Jimena Madrid’s heartbreaking immigration story is headed to the small screen…

Lifetime has given a green light to Torn From Her Arms, an original movie from Ozy Media, inspired by the separation of the six-year-old Salvadoran child from her mother at the U.S. border due to the Donald Trump administration’s zero-tolerance family separation policy.

Jimena Madrid

The made-for-television movie, which stems from Ozy Media’s development partnership with A+E Networks, is part of Lifetime’s Ripped from the Headlines franchise inspired by news and true events. Originally covered by Ozy’s reporting arm, Torn From Her Arms marks Ozy’s first foray into scripted programming and an expansion of its television catalog.

Per Lifetime, Torn from Her Arms is the timely story of Cindy and Jimena Madrid, a mother and daughter who fled violence in El Salvador, only to be separated at the U.S. border. Detained in different centers, Cindy and Jimena’s story gained national attention when the audiotape of Jimena crying for her mother was leaked, helping to alert the world to what was happening to undocumented immigrant families at the border. The movie shines a spotlight on the harsh child separation policies in place as part of the zero-tolerance policy and the struggle to reunite families.

Torn From Her Arms is written by Tawnya Bhattacharya and Ali Laventhol. Lifetime and Ozy Media are currently searching for a director and casting for the movie.

The 2020 Ripped from the Headlines winter slate was seen by over 25.1 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Live+7.

Emmanuel Lubezki Partners with Kind for “No More Deaths” Campaign

Emmanuel Lubezki is using his talents to spread a message of empathy…

The 53-year-old Mexican cinematographer, a three-time Academy Award winner, has partnered with Kind to produce a video for the granola bar company’s new campaign.

Emmanuel Lubezki

Lubezki, of Birdman, Gravity and The Revenant fame, personally interprets the difference between nice and kind through the eyes of volunteers from No More Deaths.

Diverting the focus from the many militia groups on the Mexico-US border, Lubezki’s short, More Than Nice, follows volunteers from the humanitarian group as they walk through the Sonoran Desert leaving jugs of water for migrants attempting to cross.

Their objective is not to encourage nor deter people from crossing, but simply to save lives. Although seemingly small, the group’s actions make a real difference for those in desperate situations facing harsh natural conditions.

“I was struck not just by the incredible courage but also by the tremendous empathy that these volunteers had, going out of their way to protect the well-being of fellow human beings they may never meet,” said Lubezki for Kind’s website.

The issue hits home not only for Lubezki, but also for KIND CEO Daniel Lubetzky – both are Jewish-Mexican immigrants who have used their respective platforms to connect people, expand understanding and strengthen communities.

To learn more about No More Deaths visit: www.nomoredeaths.org KIND is inviting people to share their own take on the difference between nice and kind by submitting a written essay, photo or video.

A panel of judges, made up of entrepreneurs, creatives, journalists and activists will select three winners who will receive $25,000 to donate to the charity of their choice, along with resources, including cash prizes and photography/videography gear to help fund their next creative project.