What does it say about today’s climate that the one film which won multiple prizes, that topped every poll out of this past January’s Sundance Film Festival — Beth de Araújo’s “Josephine” — was not picked up until now? Not just that, but it’s not A24, it’s not Neon, it’s certainly not MUBI. It’s an unknown startup indie boutique label.
Sumerian Pictures — who? — has acquired U.S. rights for the U.S. Dramatic Competition and Audience Award winner “Josephine” in a seven-figure deal, committing to a major theatrical release and awards campaign.
I have a theory about how this all went down. The film isn’t much of a commercial play: the audience for a story about a child who witnesses a rape and the psychological toll she endures is not an easy sell. The rape scene in question is not easy to watch and doesn’t flinch whatsoever. I would be very surprised if some of the distributors who passed on this one wanted the scene in question trimmed down.
Starring Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Mason Reeves, Philip Ettinger, and Syra McCarthy, the drama was the buzziest title to debut at Park City this year, and we were all waiting to see which distributor would pick it up as Oscar buzz had been building for de Araújo’s film.
Now, I’m sure Sumerian will try their best to push this one for awards contention, but man, how disappointing it must be not to have A24 or Neon pushing this one forward.
Sumerian Pictures launched in 2025 and quickly picked up the TIFF breakout “Mile End Kicks.” Their other films in the pipeline are ones I haven’t heard of: “Queen of the Ring,” “Turnstile: Never Enough,” and “The Wolf the Fox and the Leopard.”
Following Sundance, the film is set to play in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, with its first public screening next Friday (Feb. 20).