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Diego Luna's “Ashes” Premieres at Cannes

5/13/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Diego Luna’s drama Ashes premiered on May 13, 2026, at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
The 1-hour-42-minute film, co-written by Luna, Abia Castillo and Diego Rabasa, adapts Navarro’s 2022 novel.
Anna Díaz portrays Lucila, who follows her mother Isabel (Adriana Paz) from Mexico to Spain and works as a nanny in Madrid before moving to Barcelona.
Critics praised the quiet style and strong acting but condemned the fragmented narrative.

History

Historical Context

Alfonso Arau’s 1992 film *Like Water for Chocolate*, adapted from Laura Esquivel’s novel, won ten Ariel Awards and earned an 88% Rotten Tomatoes rating, becoming the highest-grossing foreign-language film in the United States at the time. Its worldwide success opened doors for Mexican cinema, enabling Diego Luna’s drama *Ashes* to debut at Cannes on 13 May 2026.

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Story summary

Diego Luna’s drama Ashes premiered on May 13, 2026, at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
The 1-hour-42-minute film, co-written by Luna, Abia Castillo and Diego Rabasa, adapts Navarro’s 2022 novel.
Anna Díaz portrays Lucila, who follows her mother Isabel (Adriana Paz) from Mexico to Spain and works as a nanny in Madrid before moving to Barcelona.
Critics praised the quiet style and strong acting but condemned the fragmented narrative.

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