Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have snagged the North American rights to SXSW winner “Most Beautiful Island,” Deadline reports. Directed, written, produced by, and starring Ana Asensio, the psychological thriller follows a particularly challenging and eventful day in the life of an undocumented young immigrant trying to escape a tragic past.

Luciana (Asensio) leaves Spain with the hopes of creating a new life for herself in New York. She’s been paying her rent by taking on illegal jobs. “As Luciana’s day unfolds, she is whisked through a series of troublesome and unforeseeable extremes,” Deadline summarizes. She’s offered a gig at an exclusive party, and “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.”

“I wanted to write a story that I felt — and feel — close to so that I could make the events and the emotions as authentic as possible,” Asensio explained in an interview with Women and Hollywood. “‘Most Beautiful Island’ was inspired by a combination of real experiences that I and other foreign females encountered in New York City when we first arrived.”

“Most Beautiful Island” was named the winner of this year’s SXSW’s Grand Jury Award in the narrative feature competition, but making the film was an uphill battle for Asensio. “Being my first film, everything was a huge challenge for me — writing the script, convincing producers, pushing my vision, directing the actors, and acting myself in the film,” the multi-hyphenate said. “However, the most challenging aspect looking back was having to make important decisions on the spot when things didn’t go precisely the way I expected.”