Ashes or A Mouthful of Ash () is a 2026 drama film directed by Diego Luna, co-written with Abia Castillo and Diego Rabasa, and based on the same name novel by Brenda Navarro. A Mexican-Spanish co-production, its cast is led by Anna Díaz and Adriana Paz.
The film had its world premiere at the Special Screening section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on 13 May 2026.
Plot 21-year-old Lucila moves to Spain with her brother Diego to reunite with her mother Isabel, who settled there eight years prior.
Cast Anna Díaz as Lucila Adriana Paz as Isabel Teresa Lozano as Laura Irene Escolar
Production Based on the novel Ceniza en la boca (2022) by Brenda Navarro, the screenplay was written by Diego Luna, Abia Castillo, and Diego Rabasa. The film is a Mexican and Spanish co-production by La Corriente del Golfo, Animal de Luz, Inicia Films, Perro Azul, and EFD Studios. Shooting locations in Madrid included the . Shooting in Spain wrapped after five weeks of filming, moving to Mexico. Damián García worked as cinematographer.
Release Luxbox acquired world sales rights to the film ahead of its world premiere, which took place at the section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Netflix acquired rights to select Spanish speaking territories prior to the start of the festival. It was screened at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, in the Open Air section in August 2026.
The festival run also included selections for screenings in the section of the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival, the official selection of the 24th Morelia International Film Festival, and the of the 21st Rome Film Festival.
Watermelon Pictures acquired theatrical distribution rights for North America. The film is scheduled to be released theatrically in Spain on 9 October 2026 by Avalon.
Reception Tim Grierson of ScreenDaily deemed the film to be "a compassionate, clear-eyed study of a young woman searching for a place to call home".
Pete Hammond of Deadline assessed that considered Ashes as a "powerful and moving motion picture", with "strong guidance from Diego Luna".
of The Hollywood Reporter lamented the "inert" film to be "pared back to the point of narrative starvation".
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 13 reviews, with an average score of rated reviews of 7.00/10.
See also List of Mexican films of 2026 List of Spanish films of 2026
References
External links Ashes at ICAA's Catálogo de Cinespañol