Diego Luna's 'Ashes' Tackles Immigration at San Sebastián — SkimNews
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- Diego Luna is at the San Sebastián Film Festival presenting "Ashes," his directorial project that premiered at Cannes earlier this year and follows 21-year-old Lucila (Anna Díaz) and her brother Diego (Sergio Bautista) adjusting to life in Madrid after their mother relocated
- "Ashes" is adapted from a novel by Brenda Navarro, with Luna saying he made the film to address what migrants "left behind" rather than their destination: "When we talk about migrants, we're not thinking about what they left behind"
- Luna earned two Golden Globe nominations for best actor for his titular role in Disney+'s "Andor," which ended with its second season last year; he called the show's multi-generational fan attention "unlikely" to ever happen to him again
- Luna publicly called out Mexico's migration contradictions from the festival stage: "we rightly demand so much for Mexican migrants crossing the border to the north, but we are far from being the best version of ourselves when it comes to welcoming migrants from the south, from Central America"
- Luna advised a Mexican film student to make films in Spanish, saying native speakers have "a very special freedom" because "you don't have to move to make sure that your stories travel," pointing to himself, Chile's Pablo Larraín, and Argentina's films as proof
- Luna framed cinema as "a beautiful metaphor for understanding," arguing that initial discomfort with strangers transforms into generosity and empathy when curiosity about their stories is prioritized
Why it matters: Luna is leveraging the visibility that came with his Golden Globe-nominated run on "Andor" to publicly pressure his home country on immigration — singling out Mexico's treatment of Central American migrants from a European festival stage — while steering his post-Star Wars career toward politically pointed Spanish-language indies rather than franchise work.
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