EXCLUSIVE: Demían Bichir and Danny Ramirez have boarded Vincent De Luca’s U.S.-Mexico border immigration documentary Desert Angel as executive producers.

Java Films, which took worldwide distribution rights in January, has also revealed a mid-October release for the film, which has played a string of festivals including Austin, Palm Springs and Cleveland.

Ramirez is also adding the documentary to the burgeoning slate of Pinstripes, his newly formed production company with Tom Culliver.

Desert Angel is produced by Big Pup Film, Assembly Line Entertainment, Sons of Rigor, and Sevana Films and Pinstripes, with Janek Ambros, David Bennett, Jillian Corsie, Dolores Delgado, De Luca, Ethan Downing, and Séverine Tibi taking producer credits.

The film chronicles the work of Rafael Larraenza, a volunteer rescuer who has spent the last 30 years risking his life searching for migrants lost along the US-Mexico border.

Filmed across all southern border states over the course of five years, the documentary captures Larraenza’s relentless commitment, the emotional weight of each rescue mission, and the systemic forces shaping one of the most dangerous migration corridors in the world.

It also follows Indira, a mother who has spent years searching for her missing son Rodrigo, with her journey standing as a powerful testament to the anguish of countless families navigating the uncertainties of the crossing.

Bichir’s involvement brings a personal and professional resonance to the project. The Mexico City-born actor is one of the most decorated performers to bridge Latin American and Hollywood cinema.

He clinched an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in 2012 for his performance in A Better Life as an undocumented immigrant struggling to build a life in Los Angeles. Alongside drawing widespread critical acclaim, brought the immigration debate mainstream American cinema.

The actor went on to appear in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, Oliver Stone’s Savages, and the FX series The Bridge, and most recently supernatural horror Black Phone 2 and Andy Garcia’s Diamond. In tandem, he has been a passionate advocate in favor of immigrants and their contribution, also penning a number of guest columns for Deadline over the years suggesting a more human approach.

Colombian-American actor Ramirez broke out as Joaquín Torres in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World, with other credits including Top Gun: Maverick and The Devil All the Time.

Off screen, he recently co-founded Pinstripes alongside Culliver, with an ambitious slate of projects in development including the soccer drama Baton, which counts Victoria Alonso and David Beckham among its producers.

“To have two incredible actors like Demián Bichir and Danny Ramirez join the film as executive producers is more than I could have hoped for. Demián is a tireless advocate for immigrants and Danny is a passionate champion of Latino voices and stories. Together, they will amplify these important conversations and foster much-needed empathy for people whose lives are mirrored in the film,” said director De Luca.

Lead producer Ambros echoed these sentiments, saying: “Having two brilliant actors and filmmakers who care deeply about the film is invaluable.”

Ambros’ Assembly Line Entertainment has a track record in nurturing issue-driven documentary and narrative projects from development through to international distribution, with other recent credits including In The Summers which won the US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2024.

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