Diego Luna’s latest project has sparked new interest.
Watermelon Pictures has acquired the North American rights to the migration drama Ashes, directed and co-written by the 46-year-old Mexican actor, director and producer.
The deal comes following the film’s world premiere in Cannes and ahead of its bow in Toronto next month.
Adapted from the critically acclaimed feminist novel Ceniza en la boca, published in English as Eating Ashes, by prominent Mexican author Brenda Navarro, the film follows Lucila, a young woman who leaves Mexico with her younger brother to reunite with their mother in Madrid after years apart. Their hopes for a new beginning quickly collide with a far more difficult reality than Lucila imagined, forcing her to navigate the emotional weight of displacement, fractured family bonds and the struggle to build a life in an unfamiliar country.
It stars Anna Díaz and Adriana Paz, alongside an ensemble cast including Luisa Huertas, Guillermo Ríos, Sergio Bautista, Benny Emmanuel, Teresa Lozano and Adriana Jacomé.
The Ashes screenplay was written by Luna, Abia Castillo and Diego Rabasa, with Luna returning to the director’s chair for his latest exploration of family, identity and belonging.
The film was produced by Inna Payan, Valérie Delpierre, Luis Salinas, Rabasa and Luna. The film is a production of La Corriente del Golfo, Animal de Luz Films, Inicia Films and Perro Azul, with support from ICAA.
“I’m very pleased to partner with Watermelon Pictures on the U.S. and Canadian theatrical release of Ashes. We couldn’t be in better hands,” said Luna. “Their vision and commitment to supporting films that challenge perspectives and inspire audiences is deeply important to us. We share their belief in the power of film to move people, and I’m thrilled to have a partner who believes in ‘Ashes’ as deeply as we do.”
The distribution deal was negotiated by Munir Atalla, head of production and acquisitions for Watermelon Pictures, and Jean-Benoit Henry, head of international sales at Luxbox, which represents worldwide sales of the film.
“We are incredibly proud to welcome Diego Luna and ‘Ashes’ to Watermelon Pictures,” said Hamza Ali, co-founder of Watermelon Pictures. “Diego has created a deeply relatable human film about migration, family and the search for belonging that feels both intimate and universal.”
