Watermelon Pictures acquires North American rights to Diego Luna's 'Ashes' ahead of Toronto premiere

The deal and its timing

Watermelon Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to "Ashes," a migration drama directed and co-written by Mexican actor-filmmaker Diego Luna. The acquisition follows the film's world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and comes ahead of its scheduled bow at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

Story, cast and creative team

The film adapts Brenda Navarro's novel "Ceniza en la boca," published in English as "Eating Ashes," and follows Lucila, a young woman who travels from Mexico to Madrid with her younger brother to reunite with their mother after years apart. The cast is led by Anna Díaz and Adriana Paz, with supporting performances by Luisa Huertas, Guillermo Ríos, Sergio Bautista, Benny Emmanuel, Teresa Lozano and Adriana Jacomé. The screenplay is credited to Luna, Abia Castillo and Diego Rabasa, with producing duties handled by Inna Payan, Valérie Delpierre, Luis Salinas, Diego Rabasa and Diego Luna.

Production backing and partners

"Ashes" is a co-production of La Corriente del Golfo, Animal de Luz Films, Inicia Films and Perro Azul, produced with support from ICAA. Worldwide sales are handled by Luxbox, whose head of international sales, Jean-Benoit Henry, negotiated the North American deal alongside Munir Atalla, head of production and acquisitions for Watermelon Pictures.

Stated rationale from both sides

Watermelon Pictures co-founder Hamza Ali framed the acquisition as a fit with the distributor's editorial mandate, describing the film as a relatable human story about migration, family and the search for belonging. Luna, in a quoted statement, said he was pleased to partner with Watermelon Pictures on the U.S. and Canadian theatrical release and praised what he characterized as the company's commitment to films that challenge perspectives.

Festival circuit and broader context

"Ashes" first screened at Cannes before going on to appear in festival lineups including the Sarajevo Film Festival's Open Air programme. Its Toronto bow is positioned as the next major festival stop and precedes the North American theatrical release under the Watermelon Pictures deal.