From Emmy-Nominated Director Isabel Castro, Documentary About Two Daughters of Immigrants Navigating the Music Industry
Will Open in U.S. Theaters Aug. 5
(BURBANK, CA – July 13, 2022) Today, Disney Original Documentary released the official trailer and key art for Mija, the award-winning feature documentary debut from director Isabel Castro. The film was produced by Castro under her production company Tertulia Pictures alongside independent producers Tabs Breese and Yesenia Tlahuel. Serving as executive producers are Jenny Raskin, Lauren Haber, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Marni E.J. Grossman, Rahdi Taylor and Davis Guggenheim. The film was co-produced by Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros, Jenn Lee Smith, Adam and Melony Lewis and Kelsey Koenig. Jennifer Tiexiera, Ora DeKornfeld and Alex Bohs edited with an original score by Helado Negro. The film is presented by Impact Partners in association with Cinereach and The Concordia Studio Fellowship.
Mija features Doris Muñoz and Jacks Haupt, two daughters of undocumented immigrants from Mexico who are both navigating their careers in the music industry. Seeking to provide for their families while achieving their dreams, Doris and Jacks bond over the ever-present guilt of being the first American-born members of their undocumented families and the financial risks of pursuing their dreams. For them, the pressure of success is heightened due to their families’ hope for green cards and reunification.
Mija is a poignant and emotional dedication to immigrants and their children. Director Isabel Castro’s intimate debut feature constructs an ethereal vision and homage to the daughters that fight for their families, their dreams and themselves.
The film will be released in theaters in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco on Friday, Aug. 5. It will stream globally on Disney+ later this year. Mija premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival as an Official Selection of the NEXT section that features innovative works with a forward-thinking approach to storytelling.
The film was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for the Best American Feature Film at this year’s Champs-Élysées Film Festival and also won Best Film at Dock of the Bay Festival 2022. Mija has had a strong presence on the film festival circuit, including True/False Film Festival, Miami Film Festival, CPH: DOX, SFFILM Festival, Hot Docs, San Luis Obispo Film Festival, Oak Cliff Film Festival, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, Bentonville Film Festival and CineFestival San Antonio. It will continue its festival run at Guanajuato Film Festival later this month and will premiere in New York at Rooftop Films in partnership with Summerstage.
Critics have raved about the film, with IndieWire declaring it’s “dazzlingly shot” and Variety calling it an “incandescent debut feature documentary [that] transforms the immigration tale.” We Live Entertainment hails it as an “essential story of the immigrant experience” that “strikes an emotional chord.”
Mija was supported by the Concordia Studio Fellowship, the Sundance Institute Catalyst program, the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund, Firelight Media, Points North Institute American Stories Documentary Fund (sponsored by CNN Films), Chicken & Egg Pictures, The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, California Humanities, Fork Films, the Original Voices Fellowship from NBCU Academy and NBC News Studios and the Catapult Film Fund.
Disney Original Documentary previously announced upcoming projects “Goodbye Yellowbrick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and The Years That Made His Legend,” the untitled film on Jim Henson and the short film “Sophie and the Baron.” The banner will release “Mickey: The Story of a Mouse” on Disney+ later this fall.
About Disney Original Documentary Disney Original Documentary is committed to pushing the boundaries in non-fiction storytelling by embracing new creative voices, approaches and styles in cinema. Our goal is to build global connections by sharing authentic narratives that resonate with broad audiences. By championing stories from diverse points of view, we aim to expand Disney’s storytelling legacy and give audiences new ways of seeing themselves, and the world we live in, on screen. Disney Original Documentary programs exclusively for Disney +.
