Trailer Watch: “Mija” Sees Daughters of Immigrants Blazing Their Own Trail in the Music Biz

Trailers

Trailer Watch: “Mija” Sees Daughters of Immigrants Blazing Their Own Trail in the Music Biz

“It takes a lot of courage to make your own path,” we’re told in a new trailer for “Mija.” From director Isabel Castro, the Disney Original Documentary follows Doris Muñoz, an ambitious young music manager facing high expectations from her parents and working on achieving big dreams of her own. “My two biggest fears were the Rapture and my family getting deported,” Doris reveals. Five years ago, her brother was deported. Her parents came to the U.S. to give them a better life. “And then we spent our lives with the pressure to honor their sacrifices,” she explains.

The spot shows Doris discovering a new talent who she believes is “special,” Jacks Haupt, who is also the daughter of immigrants. The pair bond over their love of music and the pressure they’re under.

“I spent years covering immigration for media outlets, including The New York Times and The Marshall Project. While I’m proud of that work, I also found myself frustrated by the limitations of those formats,” Castro told us. “I was longing to convey the incredibly complex dynamics of immigrant families and all the emotions they navigate, including guilt, resentment, and anger. So I turned to filmmaking. I was particularly interested in telling this kind of story from the perspective of young protagonists. As a teenager, I felt like there was a shortage of stories about what it meant to come of age as an immigrant or as the child of immigrants in the United States. I wanted to tell the kind of story I craved myself, as a Mexican immigrant, when I was figuring out my identity, family, and community.”

The four-time Emmy nominee added, “I hope that ‘Mija’ shows the nuanced and complicated experience of being an immigrant and the child of an immigrant in the United States. I also hope that the film inspires young creatives to take risks, and for the industry to support them.”

“Mija” opens in theaters August 5.