Sundance Double Winner 'Josephine' Sells to Sumerian Pictures in Competitive Seven-Figure Deal

The most talked-about film at this year's Sundance Film Festival has found a home. Sumerian Pictures has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Josephine, the psychological drama from writer-director Beth de Araújo, in a competitive seven-figure deal that underscores the surging market confidence in the film's commercial and awards potential Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan Sundance Drama ‘Josephine’ Sells to Sumerian Pictures in Seven-Figure Dealvariety.com·Secondary“Josephine,” a psychological thriller starring Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan and newcomer Mason Reeves, has sold to Sumerian Pictures in a competitive seven-figure deal. Sumerian, which was founded by Ash Avildsen as an artist-led independent creative studio and recently expanded into film distribution, has committed to a major theatrical release and awards campaign for the film..

The acquisition marks a significant coup for Sumerian, an artist-led independent studio founded by Ash Avildsen that only recently expanded into theatrical distribution. The company has committed to a major theatrical rollout and a full awards campaign — an aggressive bet on a film that many industry observers are already placing on early 2026-27 Oscar prediction lists . The deal was negotiated by Sumerian Pictures president Rob Williams with WME Independent and CAA Media Finance Sumerian Pictures Snaps Up U.S. Rights For Sundance Breakout ‘Josephine’deadline.com·SecondarySumerian Pictures has clinched U.S. rights for Sundance U.S. Dramatic Competition and Audience Award winner Josephine, in a competitive seven-figure deal, committing to major theatrical release and awards campaign. Written, produced, and directed by Beth de Araújo, featuring a breakout debut from actress Mason Lily Reeves, and the critically acclaimed performances from Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, and Phillip Ettinger..

Josephine premiered at Sundance on January 23 and promptly became the festival's defining film. It went on to sweep both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, a rare double victory that places it in the company of past Best Picture nominees and winners: Minari achieved the same feat in 2020, and CODA did it the following year before winning the Academy Award Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan Sundance Drama ‘Josephine’ Sells to Sumerian Pictures in Seven-Figure Dealvariety.com·Secondary“Josephine,” a psychological thriller starring Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan and newcomer Mason Reeves, has sold to Sumerian Pictures in a competitive seven-figure deal. Sumerian, which was founded by Ash Avildsen as an artist-led independent creative studio and recently expanded into film distribution, has committed to a major theatrical release and awards campaign for the film..

The film is a work of autobiographical fiction drawn from de Araújo's own childhood experience. It follows eight-year-old Josephine, played by newcomer Mason Lily Reeves, who witnesses a sexual assault in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. What unfolds is not a crime procedural but a sustained, emotionally precise examination of trauma's ripple effects — on the child, on her parents, played by Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan, and on the family's fragile sense of safety Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan Sundance Drama ‘Josephine’ Sells to Sumerian Pictures in Seven-Figure Dealvariety.com·Secondary“Josephine,” a psychological thriller starring Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan and newcomer Mason Reeves, has sold to Sumerian Pictures in a competitive seven-figure deal. Sumerian, which was founded by Ash Avildsen as an artist-led independent creative studio and recently expanded into film distribution, has committed to a major theatrical release and awards campaign for the film..

De Araújo discovered Reeves by canvassing a farmer's market in their native San Francisco. "It was magic when her audition tape came in," the filmmaker told Variety. "She's never acted before, but she's an incredibly smart and emotionally intelligent person" Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan Sundance Drama ‘Josephine’ Sells to Sumerian Pictures in Seven-Figure Dealvariety.com·Secondary“Josephine,” a psychological thriller starring Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan and newcomer Mason Reeves, has sold to Sumerian Pictures in a competitive seven-figure deal. Sumerian, which was founded by Ash Avildsen as an artist-led independent creative studio and recently expanded into film distribution, has committed to a major theatrical release and awards campaign for the film.. The gamble paid off: critics have singled out Reeves's performance as a revelation, with the Harvard Crimson calling the film a work that "leaves no room for comfort" in its unflinching treatment of its subject.

Tatum and Chan, who also served as producers alongside de Araújo, David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Marina Stabile, Mark H. Rapaport, and Crystine Zhang, have drawn praise for layered performances that resist the temptation to make the parents' anguish the film's center of gravity Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan Sundance Drama ‘Josephine’ Sells to Sumerian Pictures in Seven-Figure Dealvariety.com·Secondary“Josephine,” a psychological thriller starring Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan and newcomer Mason Reeves, has sold to Sumerian Pictures in a competitive seven-figure deal. Sumerian, which was founded by Ash Avildsen as an artist-led independent creative studio and recently expanded into film distribution, has committed to a major theatrical release and awards campaign for the film.. Phillip Ettinger rounds out the principal cast.

Variety's Peter Debruge wrote that de Araújo "excels in constructing a universal human experience out of incredibly specific details, whether drawn from memory, research or her imagination," adding that the film's opening — which depicts the assault explicitly — is essential to the emotional architecture that follows Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan Sundance Drama ‘Josephine’ Sells to Sumerian Pictures in Seven-Figure Dealvariety.com·Secondary“Josephine,” a psychological thriller starring Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan and newcomer Mason Reeves, has sold to Sumerian Pictures in a competitive seven-figure deal. Sumerian, which was founded by Ash Avildsen as an artist-led independent creative studio and recently expanded into film distribution, has committed to a major theatrical release and awards campaign for the film..

Not everyone shares the enthusiasm. The film's graphic opening sequence has already generated controversy, with reports of walkouts at the Sundance premiere and predictions that the scene will provoke strong reactions when the film reaches mainstream theaters. Critics who find the depiction gratuitous argue that the same emotional impact could be achieved through implication rather than direct representation. De Araújo has defended the choice, arguing that looking away would have undermined the audience's ability to comprehend Josephine's confusion and pain.

The deal also represents a test case for Sumerian Pictures' viability as a distribution force. Founded as a music-adjacent creative studio, Sumerian's film slate so far includes the romantic comedy Mile End Kicks (in theaters April 17), The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard, Broken Voices, and Horsegirls . None of those titles carry anything close to the profile that Josephine now commands.

Josephine is de Araújo's second feature after Soft & Quiet, a single-shot thriller that debuted at SXSW in 2022 and was acquired by Blumhouse before its release through Momentum Pictures . She was named one of Variety's 10 Directors to Watch for 2026 Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan Sundance Drama ‘Josephine’ Sells to Sumerian Pictures in Seven-Figure Dealvariety.com·Secondary“Josephine,” a psychological thriller starring Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan and newcomer Mason Reeves, has sold to Sumerian Pictures in a competitive seven-figure deal. Sumerian, which was founded by Ash Avildsen as an artist-led independent creative studio and recently expanded into film distribution, has committed to a major theatrical release and awards campaign for the film..

The film's international sales are being handled by Goodfellas, and Josephine will make its international premiere in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, which runs through February 23 Sumerian Pictures Snaps Up U.S. Rights For Sundance Breakout ‘Josephine’deadline.com·SecondarySumerian Pictures has clinched U.S. rights for Sundance U.S. Dramatic Competition and Audience Award winner Josephine, in a competitive seven-figure deal, committing to major theatrical release and awards campaign. Written, produced, and directed by Beth de Araújo, featuring a breakout debut from actress Mason Lily Reeves, and the critically acclaimed performances from Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, and Phillip Ettinger.. The Berlin slot adds a European launchpad to what is shaping up to be one of the year's most closely watched independent releases.

Financing was provided by Kinematics, Spark Features, and Yintai alongside de Araújo's production company Vibrato, in association with Free Association Sumerian Pictures Snaps Up U.S. Rights For Sundance Breakout ‘Josephine’deadline.com·SecondarySumerian Pictures has clinched U.S. rights for Sundance U.S. Dramatic Competition and Audience Award winner Josephine, in a competitive seven-figure deal, committing to major theatrical release and awards campaign. Written, produced, and directed by Beth de Araújo, featuring a breakout debut from actress Mason Lily Reeves, and the critically acclaimed performances from Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, and Phillip Ettinger..

Whether Sumerian can translate festival heat into box-office performance — and whether de Araújo's uncompromising vision can find the wide audience its backers are betting on — will be the industry story to watch in the months ahead.