Gran Canaria is a sun-drenched charter paradise that has captivated Europeans since the 1960s. Among pastel-coloured hotels and sparkling pools, this small Atlantic Island attracts millions of tourists. Behind the inviting facade of sun-kissed ease, another life that embraces souls in search of happiness unfolds. A Place in the Sun is an ensemble portrait of a contrasting place and a diverse group of people from Scandinavia, Europe and Africa who have all left their old lives to start a new one far from home. Among others, we meet the Swedish Phoner and waitress Marta, who has come out of an abusive relationship and is now struggling to provide for her three children. Danny Bjørn from Denmark, who has sought new pastures, away from the grey city of Aarhus. The boat refugee Suleiman, who has chased his chance and made the journey from a village in Sierra Leone to pursue an athletic career in Handball. Eugene from Ukraine who left his homeland with the hope of contract works as an acrobat in a tourist cabaret. In beautiful tableaus, the film creates a humorous and melancholic portrait of a resort that stubbornly insists on a good life.

Dir. Mette Carla Albrechtsen | 80min | 2024 | Denmark

"Apart from the ongoing humanitarian crisis, news of volcanic eruptions and climate change disturbingly floats through the airwaves. By interweaving these sights and sounds of environmental destruction and human toil, Albrechtsen’s film powerfully subverts the popular image of the islands as a tourist’s haven, laying bare the fragility and inequality that undergird this Edenic idyll" - Guardian

"In a stylish, visual imagery, we witness life’s twists and turns between sandcastles, parties and overcrowded swimming pools, while escapism and creeping melancholy slowly reveal themselves behind the festive surface" - CPH:DOX