Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan’s ‘Josephine’ sets release date in tense first trailer
The first trailer for ‘Josephine’ puts Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan at the center of a family responding to a child’s trauma. They play the parents of 8-year-old Josephine, portrayed by newcomer Mason Reeves, after she becomes the sole witness to a crime in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The footage stays close to Josephine’s perspective as her parents seek answers and struggle over how to make her feel safe. “Josephine, can you tell me what you saw?” a voice asks as the trailer begins, before scenes show the questions and pressure surrounding her account.
Sumerian Pictures will release ‘Josephine’ in limited theaters on November 20. Sumerian acquired the US rights in February following competition for the film after its Sundance premiere. The official logline reads, “After 8-year-old Josephine (Mason Reeves) accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, she begins to act out violently to protect herself. This emotional trauma leads to conflicts between her parents (Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan) as they search for justice and a way to feel safe again.”
In another moment from the trailer, Tatum’s character crouches to Josephine’s level and says, “Look me in the eye and swear to me that you’re telling the truth.” Another adult challenges the child with the question, “If what you say you saw was so bad, why did you just watch from behind a tree?” Together, those exchanges establish how Josephine’s account affects both the investigation and her family.
Beth de Araújo wrote and directed ‘Josephine’ as a work of autobiographical fiction informed by her own experiences. The film won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the US dramatic competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. That combination places it alongside ‘CODA’ and ‘Minari,’ two earlier films that earned the same pair of Sundance honors before receiving Academy Award nominations, with ‘CODA’ later winning Best Picture.
The film subsequently screened in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival and is scheduled to continue its festival run at the Toronto International Film Festival. Tatum, Chan, and Reeves lead a cast that also includes Philip Ettinger, Michael Angelo Covino, Dana Millican, and Syra McCarthy.
