16/05/2026 - CANNES 2026: The Mexican actor and director discusses the concepts of migration and identity, reflecting on political cinema and the collaborative nature of acting

(© 2026 Fabrizio de Gennaro for Cineuropa - fadege.it, @fadege.it)

Actor-director Diego Luna, the helmer of Ashes, which has been selected for the Special Screenings strand of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, sat down with us to discuss the political implications of the story, based on the novel by Mexican writer Brenda Navarro.

Cineuropa: Were you interested in making a specifically Latin American film, or one about the broader concept of migration? Were you aiming for it to have a political dimension or be imbued with a sense of responsibility?
Diego Luna: The story is indeed specific to a context: it’s the story of a Mexican migration, which is not the usual one, because typically, people migrate north, to the United States. However, that migration has been met with increasing resistance. The first and very serious instance of this is the violence that migrants encounter as they travel through Mexico on their way north. And then there’s Donald Trump’s hate speech and the new immigration policy, which has also sounded alarm bells that have been heard across all of Latin America. So Spain has become a safe harbour for migration from Latin America. I believe in making stories specific in order to ensure their universality, and what seems clear is that the only certainty we all share is that the complexity of migration, and the phenomenon of migration, is only going to escalate. For me, the film seeks to do just that: to hold a mirror up to those who receive [migrants], and I hope it makes viewers ask themselves: who am I when I receive? How much ignorance and indifference are we willing to accept? Are we going to carry on living without the curiosity to ask why the other person is doing what they’re doing? The movie does this patiently, without explaining the mother’s motives. The daughter grows up feeling abandoned and, as an adult, understands that perhaps it was a sacrifice. That’s when she begins to recognise herself, even if that recognition doesn’t always heal the wounds.

So is it political cinema?
I believe cinema is, by definition, political; there’s no way around it. I like films that confront me as a viewer, and I try to do the same.

Speaking of Spain, in the film, it appears as a place where you can seek another life, but also as a difficult place to integrate into. What reactions do you expect from European audiences, and Spanish audiences in particular? And what differences do you think there will be compared with the reaction in Mexico?
I think something lovely and interesting will happen in Spain, and that the film will add to something that’s already happening there, and in Europe in general. Right now, there’s a debate and positions that seem completely polarised on the issue, and I hope Ashes finds a niche in between. In the USA, the topic has become a Manichaean discussion, as if everything were black and white, and Trump has reduced it to a simplistic logic of good guys and bad guys: those who arrive are “bad”, and we must protect ourselves. That also serves to justify the use of state force. But the complexities faced by the Latin American community as it integrates into a country like Spain are much deeper. When we don’t grasp migration properly, we miss out on something that could be wonderful, an exchange that could be profoundly enriching. There’s a golden opportunity there, and we’d better seize it as a society. In this sense, I like to use the example of music: it is so beautiful when it allows itself to be influenced. I want to think there will be many people willing to let their guard down and stop protecting something that, deep down, is absurd, because from one day to the next, it can be taken away from you, or you die and leave with nothing. So what is it that we’re guarding? What could be more important than that chance to see ourselves reflected in the other, to understand one another and to welcome the other?

What did you learn from directing Anna Díaz and Adriana Paz? Is there anything you gave them that you don’t usually find on sets where you’ve worked as an actor?
First, being able to clear up any doubts we had. With Anna, in particular, there had to be a complete understanding of what we were doing and what was happening with the character at every moment. With Adriana as well, it was very important for me to fill in all of the story that isn’t told in the film, all the background. She had an experience that was very close to the one shown in the film in Barcelona, some time ago. Besides knowing the book, she knew that community and, as a young woman, spent a period living in Barcelona as a foreigner. So she also brought that baggage and a wealth of experience that was very interesting to hear and that, in some way, helped us build the story. In general, it’s essential to create the right space for actors and actresses. Many films fail because they neglect that essential moment. The tone of a movie is built by the entire team, on and off set. Some scenes came out in a single take, like the boyfriend arriving, dancing reggaetón and joining the friends in a single shot, while others required many repetitions. And it was important for Anna, as the lead actress, to understand that it wasn’t about doing it right or wrong, but about something collective. I don’t believe in the idea of a “one-take” actor: cinema is a collaborative endeavour.

(Translated from Spanish)