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

The film is adapted from Brenda Navarro's acclaimed feminist 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, only to confront the harsh realities of displacement and fractured family ties. It stars Anna Díaz and Adriana Paz, with a screenplay by Luna, Abia Castillo and Diego Rabasa. Luna and Watermelon co-founder Hamza Ali both welcomed the partnership, with the distribution deal negotiated by Watermelon's Munir Atalla and Luxbox's Jean-Benoit Henry.