Diego Luna Migrant Drama ‘Ashes’ Sells to Watermelon Pictures

Diego Luna‘s “Ashes,” a migrant drama that the “Andor” star directed, has sold to Watermelon Pictures ahead of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The deal is for U.S. and Canadian rights.

The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last spring, with many critics singling out the lead performance of Anna Díaz, who plays 21-year-old Lucila, for praise. In the film, she relocates from Mexico to Spain and reunites with her mother (Adriana Paz), who left her children behind years ago to get a better job and earn more money an ocean away.

In an interview ahead of the film’s premiere, Luna, who grew up in Mexico, told me that “Ashes” was deeply personal. He was drawn to the material because of the way that immigrants have been demonized in America under Donald Trump and throughout the world.

“It’s everywhere,” Luna said. “And it’s based on ignorance and selfishness. It’s related to this fear of what you have being taken away from you. It’s this stupid idea of feeling like you need to protect yourself.”

Watermelon was founded in 2024 by brothers Badie and Hamza Ali to present more complex portraits of Palestinians and Arabs. It has broadened that mandate and established itself as a label for edgy, indie fare. The company has distributed such films as “The Six Billion Dollar Man,” Eugene Jarecki’s look at WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, as well as the Academy Award-nominated “The Voice of Hind Rajab.”

The distribution deal for “Ashes” 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.

The film was adapted from the novel “Ceniza en la boca,” published in English as “Eating Ashes,” by Mexican author Brenda Navarro. The screenplay was written by Luna, Abia Castillo and Diego Rabasa.

“We are incredibly proud to welcome Diego Luna and ‘Ashes’ to Watermelon Pictures,” said Hamza Ali. “Diego has created a deeply relatable human film about migration, family and the search for belonging that feels both intimate and universal.”

“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.”

North American release plans for “Ashes” will be announced at a later date. Netflix signed a deal in Cannes to distribute the film in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.

Variety broke the news about the sale of “Ashes.”