Dazzling Spanish star Maria Luna plays Lucy in the film "Dada," which is screening at the Cannes Short Film Corner this month!

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA, May 20, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Spanish actress Maria Luna stars in the film "Dada," which was released earlier this year on the festival circuit and has been chosen as an Official Selection of the prestigious Cannes Short Film Corner where it will screen this month.

In the film Luna's character Lucy, a young reporter, is kidnapped and forced into prostitution in Kenya. Forced to live in a small shack with two other prostitutes, Lucy and the other women learn to love and trust one another; and through their shared struggle the three women are able to find peace in spite of the dire circumstances in which they find themselves.

As the lead actress in the film, Luna went to incredible lengths to craft this eye-opening tale for the screen. In "Dada" Luna taps into her character so seamlessly that audiences will have to constantly remind themselves over the course of her performance that she is an actress in a fictional tale.

"I researched books and documentaries about sex trafficking and found out that in Kenya there are several non-profit organizations that work with women who have been dragged into sex trafficking," explains Luna. "I then went to Kenya and lived both in the slums and in a Masai Mara village… So when I was working on the character I knew as much as I could about how I would feel if I was in the situation."

In "Dada" Luna costars alongside Wills Canga from the films "Destiny: New Beginnings," "Salsa Room," "Dr. Ravis" and "Searching for Love," as well as the television shows "La familia Mata," "Impares," "Pelotas," "The Journeys" and others.

"The projects I most like being part of have more realistic themes about social justice," admits Luna. "I think what makes me markedly different, though, is that I have been involved in volunteer work for more than 10 years. I also studied psychology, which gives me a deeper understanding of people and the empathy to be able to relate with them. I act because I feel drawn to certain characters, but also because I want people to see, understand, and connect with each other."

One of the aspects of Maria Luna's life that has made her such an emotive and natural actress, and an admirable person, is her history of volunteer work, which has taken her around the world.

In India she taught women and children how to use computers, in the Ivory Coast she taught carpentry, in Panama she helped paint the walls of an orphanage, in Mexico she helped build a prefabricated school, and that's not even close to the sum of it all. She also volunteered in Romania where she worked with abused children, an experience that gave her powerful insight when it came time to play the starring role of Sara in the film "A Romanian Fairy Tale."

Through all of these experiences Luna has not only been able to help others, but she has also been given the invaluable opportunity to experience what various people around the world are struggling with, something that has made her craft as an actress advantageously more dynamic.

In "A Romanian Fairy Tale" a young boy named Timo escapes his abusive father by running away to the forest where he meets Sara, an insightful young woman who takes him in. The two form a deep bond like that of a mother and son, but as Timo's wounds begin to heal his father appears and breaks them apart.

Over the years Luna has had incredible international success in the sci-fi genre as well. In 2009 she starred as Terri McGowan in Neil Johnson's "Bipolar Armageddon," and in 2011 she played Charity in Johnson's film "Alien Armageddon."

Luna worked with the award winning director again in 2012 when she played Brianna in his film "Alien Dawn," and in 2014 when she played Mariana in "Starship: Rising." In 2014 she also starred in the feature film "Dawn of Destruction," the highly anticipated sequel to "Alien Dawn."

A testament to Luna's performance and the acclaim "Starship: Rising" received, the film took home two Action on Film Awards for Best Science Fiction and Best Visual Effects last year at the Action on Film International Film Festival (USA).

The actress is also slated to star in the third feature film of the "Space Command" series. When asked to describe actress Maria Luna, Marc Scott Zicree, the director of the sci-fi film series "Space Command," said "Intelligent, dedicated, talented and good-hearted, Maria Luna is a sheer joy to work with and a solid professional who makes every production far better by her participation in it."

Zicree is known for his work as a writer on the popular television shows "The Smurfs," "Sliders," "Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II," "TekWar," "Beyond Reality," "Babylon 5," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and many more.

Luna has several other projects in the works for this year as well. She is slated to star in an upcoming feature film that is being produced by Luna Wennberg Films, as well as a new travel television series that revolves around culture in Europe.

Although it is still early on in the production process, we can say that the upcoming film will revolve around a young bipolar woman who spent most of her life homeless until she met her husband. From the outside things appear to change inexplicably for the better, but transitioning into her new life in Beverly Hills poses a whole new set of challenges because regardless of where she is, she'll never be able to escape the mental illness that has followed her for as long as she can remember.

Portia McGroarty
Q27 Media
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