Most Beautiful Island

A day in the life of an undocumented Spanish immigrant turns increasingly bizarre in this searing social drama with a bold genre twist. Winner of the 2017 SXSW Grand Jury Award.

A day in the life of an undocumented Spanish immigrant in New York is given the Grand Guignol treatment in this darkly compelling debut. Inspired by her own experiences, director-writer-producer Ana Asensio plays Luciana, a Spanish immigrant trying to build a life for herself in the Big Apple. With no social security number and thus no hope of a steady income, Luciana is forced to take any work she can, and when her Russian friend Olga suggests a highly-paid, no-questions-asked mystery gig, Luciana is in no position to say no. But her concerns begin to escalate as the assignment becomes increasingly bizarre.

A veritable masterclass in mounting tension and insidious discomfort, Asensio expertly utilises genre conventions to heighten her dark – and often painfully sad – parable about exploitation and the American Dream. Winner of the 2017 SXSW Grand Jury Award.