It’s quite apparent that the cast and crew who worked on Andor will be forever changed by their time on the show, taking things forward with into the rest of their careers, and here we hear from Diego Luna, a man who has certainly been influenced by Andor, returning to directing for the fifth time after being inspired by his Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy.
After being gifted Brenda Navarro’s novel Eating Ashes, actor and filmmaker Diego Luna was inspired by the book’s intimate exploration of migration, sacrifice, and grief to put the words to screen. Serving as producer, co-writer, and director, Luna’s fifth directorial feature, Ashes, leaps from the pages of the novel and script through his sharp visual language, capturing this harrowing journey through intimate close-ups and extended oners that allow the audience to feel the story through its main character’s eyes.
Ashes, starring Anna Díaz (La Cocina) and Adriana Paz (The Huntress), follows Lucila (Díaz), a young woman who has been raising her brother Diego (Sergio Bautista) in Mexico, as she sets out to reunite with their mother, Isabel (Paz). Nearly a decade ago, Isabel left her children in search of a better life, in hopes of reuniting as a family someday, but now Lucila needs answers. This migration to Spain brings new challenges and tragedies that Lucila must confront as she learns to navigate an unforgiving world.
In this interview, You Know Films’ Alex Noyer, in collaboration with Collider at the Cannes Film Festival, sits down with Luna to discuss Ashes. While chatting, Luna shares his personal connection to the film, one that connects his past projects even, and how he and co-writer Abia Castillo adapted their own story from the original novel. The actor-director also explains how his time spent on Tony Gilroy’s Disney+ series Andor influenced his decision to return to independent filmmaking, how he crafted his visual language for the movie, and what audiences can expect for the future of Ashes.
