Diego Luna's Ashes to Open GuadaLAjara Festival in Los Angeles
Diego Luna's immigration drama Ashes will open this year's GuadaLAjara Film Festival in Los Angeles.
The festival has unveiled its full programme for its annual event running Nov. 5-7 at venues across Los Angeles, according to Variety. The three-day edition will open with Watermelon Pictures' Ashes from Luna at the United Theater. It is the 16th edition of the festival, known as GLAFF, according to its organisers.
Ashes, also titled Ceniza en la Boca, follows Lucila, who moves to Spain with her brother to reunite with the mother who left eight years earlier, according to Variety. The title is listed under its English name by Deadline. It previously screened in Special Screenings at the Cannes Film Festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Anna Díaz plays Lucila, Sergio Bautista plays her little brother Diego, and Adriana Paz plays their mother Isabel, according to TIFF. The cast also includes Luisa Huertas, Guillermo Ríos and Adriana Jacome, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Centerpiece Gala, the festival's mid-run showcase, will present Netflix's 14th from Ava DuVernay, according to Variety. It will screen at Vidiots, the Los Angeles cinema and video store turned screening space.
The festival will close with a 35mm screening of Mexicanamerican directed by Eddie Sánchez at the Linwood Dunn Theater, according to Variety. A 35mm screening means the film is shown from a traditional celluloid print rather than a digital file. Mexicanamerican tells the story of Lalo and Beby, a Mexican couple who achieved the American Dream.
The wider lineup includes Adam's Apple directed by Amy Jenkins, Chicas Tristes (Sad Girlz) directed by Fernanda Tovar and City of the Dead (Ciudad de Muertos) directed by J.M. Cravioto, according to Variety. It also features Dear Fátima (Querida Fátima) directed by Lorena Gutiérrez, Jesús "Don Chucho" Quintana, Rodrigo Reyes, Dawn Valadez and Su Kim, plus Shooting Stars directed by Daniel Poler.
Ximena Urrutia is executive director of GLAFF, according to Variety. The festival is presented by UdeG Foundation USA and based in Los Angeles, according to GLAFF.
What makes this stand out is the shape of the three days. An opener about family separation, a centrepiece from a major US streamer, and a closer shot on film. Short run. Clear arc.
