Mexican actor-director Diego Luna discussed his fourth directorial feature, "Ashes," while visiting the Sarajevo Film Festival, where he also received an honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award. Speaking at the Variety Lounge, Luna explained that the film aims to challenge how migrants are typically perceived, arguing that public discourse rarely considers what people leave behind when they migrate.

"Ashes," which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, is adapted from a novel by Brenda Navarro and follows a young Mexican woman, played by Anna Diaz, adjusting to life in Spain eight years after her mother left Mexico for Madrid. Luna, known for "Y Tu Mama Tambien" and Disney+'s "Andor," said becoming a father prompted his shift towards directing and telling more personal stories, and praised his team for making a film attentive to the burdens immigrants carry that are often overlooked by wider society.