Diego Luna presented his fourth directorial feature, “Ashes,” at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where he received an honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award. The Mexican actor-director-producer conducted a masterclass and participated in an open-air screening of the film during his first visit to the Bosnian capital.
Luna, known for his acting roles in films directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Steven Spielberg, and Harmony Korine, views international festivals as valuable venues for experiencing cinema through different cultural perspectives. He noted parallels between Bosnian and Mexican audiences and mentioned that his work on the Disney+ series “Andor” has attracted local fans to the festival.
The director attributed his transition to filmmaking to becoming a father, stating that parenthood motivated him to tell his own stories rather than serve another filmmaker’s vision. He emphasized wanting to reflect on his personal journey and experience as a son.
“Ashes,” which premiered at Cannes earlier in the year, is based on a novel by Brenda Navarro and centers on a young Mexican woman played by Anna Diaz as she begins her life in Spain eight years after her mother relocated to Madrid. Luna stressed that the film examines what immigrants carry emotionally and psychologically rather than focusing on surface-level narratives about migration. He collaborated with a team committed to drawing attention to often-overlooked dimensions of the immigrant experience, arguing that increased awareness of others’ circumstances could foster greater compassion in society.
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