SXSW Winner ‘Most Beautiful Island’ Gets Nov. Release From Orion & Samuel Goldwyn

UPDATED, 11:11 AM: Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have set a November 3 release date in select cities for the SXSW Grand Jury Award-winning film Most Beautiful Island from filmmaker Ana Asensio. The psychological thriller was picked up this summer by Orion and Samuel Goldwyn Films. The weekend has a number of other films going into the marketplace during a that time including A24’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Rob Reiner’s LBJ, A Bad Mom’s Christmas from STX, Lionsgate’s Last Flag Flying, and Sony’s Roman J. Israel, Esq.

PREVIOUSLY, June 20, 8:27 AM: Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired North American rights to Most Beautiful Island, a psychological thriller from Glass Eye Pix directed, written, produced by and starring Ana Asensio. It won a Grand Jury Award in the narrative competition at SXSW this year.

Shot on Super 16mm, the pic chronicles one harrowing day in the life of Luciana, a young immigrant woman struggling to make ends meet in New York while striving to escape her past. As Luciana’s day unfolds, she is whisked through a series of troublesome and unforeseeable extremes. Before her day is done, she inadvertently finds herself a central participant in a cruel game where lives are placed at risk, and psyches are twisted and broken for the perverse entertainment of a privileged few.

Natasha Romanova, David Little, Nicholas Tucci, Larry Fessenden and Caprice Benedetti co-star. Jenn Wexler, Chadd Harbold, Fessenden and Noah Greenberg produced, and Peter Phok, Jose María Garcia, Ahmet Bilgen, Selim Cevikel, Christohper Todd and Gill Holland are executive producers.

The deal was negotiated by Peter Goldwyn on behalf of Samuel Goldwyn and Andrew Herwitz and Lucas Verga of Film Sales Corp. on behalf of the filmmakers. It comes ahead of the film’s bow Wednesday at BAM Cinemafest.