In a surprising turn at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Sumerian Pictures, a newcomer to the independent film distribution scene, secured the rights to the highly buzzed-about drama Josephine in a deal reportedly worth around $6 million. The film, directed by Beth de Araújo and starring Gemma Chan, Channing Tatum, and newcomer Mason Reeves, captured the Audience and Grand Jury Prizes at the festival in Park City, Utah, marking it as one of the standout entries. Sumerian founder Ash Avildsen described the acquisition as a pivotal moment for his company, which has roots in the music industry but is now venturing deeper into cinema.
The story of how Sumerian clinched the deal began during the festival screenings in January. Rob Williams, Sumerian's content chief hired just months earlier, caught an early showing of Josephine and was immediately struck by its emotional depth. He contacted Avildsen, urging him to watch it without delay. Avildsen, based about 40 miles away in Salt Lake City, drove to catch another screening and found himself deeply moved. “I haven’t cried like that in a theater in quite some time,” Avildsen said. “Not multiple times.” He praised the film's beautiful third act, noting, “So many festival films have bleak endings, but this was so well done. I crave the emotional impact of cinema, especially the theatrical experience. Josephine did that so well.”
Josephine follows the story of an 8-year-old boy, played by Reeves, who witnesses a horrific crime in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The narrative draws from de Araújo's personal experiences with trauma, making it a hard-hitting sophomore feature for the director. The film's instant buzz at Sundance drew interest from multiple major buyers, including established players in the indie space. As word spread, a competitive bidding war ensued, with offers escalating amid the festival's electric atmosphere. Sources familiar with the negotiations told Deadline that the domestic rights deal ultimately reached approximately $6 million, a significant sum for a company like Sumerian making its boldest move yet.
Avildsen wasted no time rallying his team after the screening. “I got on our group text with our team and told them I thought it was a masterpiece,” he recounted. “I said we have to try as hard as we can to get it.” The acquisition was negotiated by Williams, a former executive at Participant and Netflix, in talks with WME Independent, CAA Media Finance, and producer Emanuel Nunez of Kinematics. Producers on the film include David Kaplan, known for It Follows and Short Term 12. The deal was announced two weeks after Sundance, coinciding with Josephine's international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February.
While the victory surprised some industry observers— one larger buyer reportedly mused, “Who knew they were at that level?”—Avildsen sees it as a natural fit for Sumerian's underdog ethos. “The partnership between Josephine and Sumerian was in ways serendipitous,” he said. “It took the filmmakers a long time to get the film made and it faced various challenges. It was an underdog production and an underdog story to have a young child actor with no credits be the lead and then to deliver it like they did.” Social media chatter questioned whether the upstart company could shepherd a potential Academy Awards contender, but Avildsen dismissed the doubts. “We won’t be cutting any corners with the personnel and companies that we’ll collaborate with to fully support Josephine,” he assured. “It’s not a one or two person army we’re putting together to work on any film, but especially not this one. This is the flagship film for the entire year for the company.”
Sumerian's origins lie far from the silver screen. Founded by Avildsen in 2006 at age 24 from his Venice Beach apartment, the company started as an underground record label specializing in indie, metal, and alternative rock acts. Today, it represents artists like Bad Omens, The Smashing Pumpkins, Animals As Leaders, and Poppy. The label has grown to about 30 full-time staff and a dozen part-timers, with plans for more hires to support its expanding film operations. In 2022, Sumerian acquired comic book and video game publisher Behemoth Entertainment, signaling its diversification beyond music.
Film has long been part of Avildsen's heritage. As the son of Oscar-winning director John G. Avildsen—known for Rocky and The Karate Kid franchise—he grew up immersed in the industry. The younger Avildsen recently shared on a podcast hosted by O'Shea Jackson about his estrangement from and eventual reunion with his father. Avildsen has directed three films himself: the 2017 horror-thriller American Satan, the wrestling biopic Queen of the Ring, and he's currently in post-production on the Rob Lowe-starring crime-comedy My New Friend Jim. He also created the 2021 TV series Paradise City.
The push into film distribution gained momentum last year, with Williams brought on in October to lead the effort. “Sometimes, when you’re a new company, you have to show people you can step up,” Williams explained. Sumerian's financial flexibility stems from the resurgence in recorded music's value, allowing the independent outfit to take risks without reliance on institutional investors. “We’re a fully independent company that takes chances on art,” Avildsen said. “Because recorded music has finally gained real value again, we’re able to take those chances, whether that’s on a comic book, a musician or an indie movie.” He emphasized the company's autonomy: “We’re not backed by institutional money. We’re not at the whim of private equity, VC money or being publicly traded. I’m not looking for an exit. I’m looking for an entrance. I don’t want to sell up, go sit on a beach and mix drinks all day. I wake up with purpose and excitement. We’ve got more things to do.”
“My whole career, I’ve thrived on that [being doubted]. We’re an underdog company. When we started the music label in 2006 Spotify didn’t even exist and piracy was huge. Physical sales were dying and the whole sentiment of the record label business was like ‘it’s over’. That was just fuel for me. It’s the same with films for Rob and I. We’re passionate, hungry, and motivated, and we understand the value in being higher up on a company’s priority list than languishing at a much bigger company where you’re not such a priority. Once we commit, we’re going to deliver.” — Ash Avildsen
The timing of Sumerian's entry aligns with shifts in the indie film landscape. Traditional buyers and streamers have pulled back amid market uncertainties, creating opportunities for agile newcomers. Sumerian is among a handful of emerging domestic distributors in the past year. On its 2026 release slate, alongside Josephine, are the Toronto Film Festival music dramedy Mile End Kicks, which premieres in the U.S. this week at South by Southwest; the Tribeca selections The Wolf, The Fox And The Leopard and Wolfgirls; and the acclaimed Czech film Broken Voices, acquired from the Karlovy Vary Film Festival where it earned a Best Actress special mention.
Underscoring its commitment, Sumerian quickly followed the Josephine deal with another Sundance acquisition: the offbeat comedy The Incomer, starring Domhnall Gleeson and Gayle Rankin. “We’re encouraged by the quality and marketability of our films and we’re seizing the moment,” Williams said. The company aims to release about seven films this year, sourcing from festivals and markets like SXSW and Cannes. Plans include foreign-language titles, documentaries, collaborations with its music artists, and increased producing efforts. “We’ll be at every major festival, scouting and hoping to discover great films whether they are led by new actors and filmmakers or include big name talent,” Avildsen confirmed.
For Josephine, a summer and fall festival run is anticipated before a likely theatrical release later in 2026. Industry insiders view the film's potential as extending into the 2027 awards season, given its emotional resonance and critical acclaim. Avildsen hinted at the possibility of another major acquisition but stressed selectivity: “Never say never. But we’ll be very selective. If we were to swing that big again this year, we’d have to be blown away by it. We’re very happy with the big swing we took.”
This deal caps off what many see as a fitting end to the Park City edition of Sundance, a festival renowned for underdog tales and launching fresh voices in indie cinema. As Sumerian positions itself as a passionate player in the space, its success with Josephine could signal a new chapter for independent distribution, filling voids left by retreating giants and betting on stories that deliver profound impact.