Diego Luna Talks About Mexican Migrants in His Film ‘Ceniza en la boca’
Por Miriam Gonzalez ·
According to Mexican filmmaker Diego Luna, the world today faces two major challenges: migration and climate change. That is why, after a ten-year hiatus from directing feature films, he has chosen one of these two themes to return to the format and premiered “Ceniza en la boca” this Saturday, a film starring Mexican migrants in Spain.
In an interview with EFE at the Sebastián Film Festival, Luna acknowledged that “it’s easy to react with fear” to emigration and that “violence can surface,” but she believes it can be “countered with empathy,” and that film is a good tool for doing so.
Especially when the one responsible for connecting with the audience is Anna Díaz, an actress who wowed the audience at the Spanish film festival last night with her performance in *Morro* and did so again today in *Ceniza en la boca*.
In Diego Luna’s film, Díaz plays a young woman who arrives in Spain with her teenage brother to be reunited with her mother, who emigrated from her native Mexico when her children were young.
The protagonist and her brother have grown up dreaming of the day they could be reunited with their mother—who is also magnificently portrayed by Adriana Paz—but when they arrive in Madrid, they realize that emigration has many dark sides.
Mexican actress Anna Díaz, a “radiant” immigrant
Anna Díaz describes her character as “a strong young woman with many responsibilities that leave her little time to have fun or think about herself, but who still tries to build something, not just survive.”
“Sometimes people think that immigrants have to just work and work, but in the film there are moments of light in which their hopes, their desires, and their humanity shine through,” he adds.
According to Diego Luna, this humanity is the antidote to “hatred and violence,” because “ignorance can sometimes be very strident,” but when “that person—that immigrant—stands before you and you take an interest in their story, then you’re probably able to show your best side.”
For that connection between people to take place—and for immigrants to cease being mere numbers or threats—”curiosity” is necessary; and, according to the Mexican director and actor, cinema “invites us to be curious” and is “a window that gives us a glimpse into the lives of other people.”
Diego Luna and the Issue of Migrants: Deportations in the United States
Diego Luna acknowledges that the news of deportations of immigrants arriving from the United States and the problems caused by the massive influx of migrants into Ceuta “might lead people to think that we took advantage of the circumstances to make the film.”
“But that’s not the case,” he clarifies. “Emigration has been a ‘crucial issue for years, especially in Mexico, which serves as that complex gateway between the United States and Latin America.'”
However, problematic situations such as those in Ceuta highlight that “the issue of immigration calls for reflection,” according to Spanish actress Teresa Lozano, who plays one of the women who cross paths with the protagonist during her journey through Madrid and Barcelona.
In his opinion, *Ash in the Mouth* brings to light “a highly relevant issue,” namely “the dehumanization” of immigrants.
“I think this movie is good for all of us, but right now it’s especially good for Spanish society, because there’s a lot of hate speech,” he concluded, according to Agencia EFE.