Sundance Sensation 'Josephine' Sets Theatrical Release: Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum Star in Beth de Araújo's Thriller
The first trailer for Josephine is out, and the film now has a theatrical release date. Sumerian Pictures will open the Sundance double-award winner in limited release on November 20, expanding nationwide on December 4, according to Deadline.
The film stars Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum as the parents of eight-year-old Josephine, played by Mason Reeves. Beth de Araújo wrote and directed the feature, her second. The story follows Josephine after she accidentally witnesses a crime in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and begins acting out violently to protect herself. IndieWire described the film as a thriller centring on the aftermath of a sexual assault.
Josephine premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 23 (IndieWire). During the festival's online window, the film was available to credentialed press and industry from January 28 and to the public from January 29 through February 1, per the Sundance programme. It then swept the U.S. Dramatic competition, taking both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award (ioncinema).
Winning both the jury and audience prizes at Sundance is a rare double. The jury award signals critical esteem from the festival's selectors; the audience award signals that paying festival-goers responded strongly. Both together make a film hard for distributors to ignore.
In February, Ash Avildsen's Sumerian Pictures — described as an artists-led independent creative studio — acquired U.S. rights for mid-seven figures, meaning a purchase price in the several-million-dollar range, according to Deadline. The international sales company Goodfellas boarded the title the same month amid early awards-season positioning (Deadline).
The release corridor Sumerian has chosen places the limited opening in late November and the nationwide expansion in early December. That timing sits within the window where distributors typically launch titles they want in the awards conversation, building word-of-mouth through platform releases — opening in a few theatres first, then widening as reviews and buzz accumulate.
For Chan, Josephine follows a career spanning blockbusters and independent film. Tatum brings comparable marquee recognition. For de Araújo, it is a fast rise: a sophomore feature that went from a Park City premiere to a seven-figure U.S. deal and a year-end theatrical slot in under twelve months.
The trailer arrives with the release date locked. Audiences will see Josephine on screen from November 20.
