Beth de Araújo’s family drama “Josephine” has won the top prizes at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
RECALL ROUNDUP: Hobby Lobby toys pulled for choking risks, Hyena bicycles could breakRead full article: A Cloudy and Cool Afternoon with A Freeze to FollowSeveral San Antonio businesses expected to close on Friday due to nationwide strikeSA-area woman sentenced to 11 years in prison, ordered to pay nearly $1M in deadly human smuggling operation Read full article: SA-area woman sentenced to 11 years in prison, ordered to pay nearly $1M in deadly human smuggling operationDirector Beth de Araujo, left, and Channing Tatum attend the premiere of"Josephine" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan.
23, 2026, at Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. Gemma Chan, from left, Mason Reeves and Channing Tatum appear in a scene from the film"Josephine," by Beth de Arajo, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Domhnall Gleeson, from left, Michelle Gomez, Gayle Rankin, and Grant O'Rourke attend the premiere of"The Incomer" during the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah. Andrew Stanton, director of the the film"In the Blink of an Eye," attends the premiere of the film during the Sundance Film Festival on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, at Eccles Theater in Park City, Utah. Pedestrians walk down Main Street on the first day of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Park City, Utah. Director Beth de Araujo, left, and Channing Tatum attend the premiere of"Josephine" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. “Josephine,” starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan as the girl’s parents, became one of the festival’s early consensus hits despite its difficult subject matter, which was based on the filmmaker’s own experience at that age. The young girl is played by newcomer Mason Reeves, whom de Araújo discovered at a San Francisco farmer’s market. The film won both the U.S. dramatic grand jury prize and the festival’s audience award but does not yet have distribution.De Araújo wiped tears while accepting the award and gave an emotional speech about rape culture and survivors. “It’s very hard to talk about rape. Even just saying the word makes people uncomfortable. But because of this there only leaves more shame and silence for survivors,” De Araújo said. “In order to honor survivors we must try to understand the people who rape in an attempt to prevent it from happening again. We have the resources, we just don’t make it a priority.” Filmmakers Janicza Bravo, Nisha Ganatra and Azazel Jacobs were the jury for the U.S. Dramatic Competition. They cited the film’s “depth and nuance of storytelling” and its “delicate and elegant execution of a challenging subject matter.” Other titles in the U.S. dramatic competition included Josef Kubota Wladyka's “Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty!,” which got a special prize for directing. The grand jury prize for best U.S. documentary was awarded to “Nuisance Bear,” about a polar bear navigating a human world. “It took us 10 years to make this movie,” said “Nuisance Bear” co-director Gabriela Osio Vanden, who was visibly emotional accepting the prize. “We all do have a story to tell, including animals.” “To Hold a Mountain,” about a mother and daughter in the remote highlands of Montenegro defending their land from becoming a NATO military training ground, took the international documentary prize. “Shame and Money,” about a Kosovar family who has to move from a village to the capital, picked up the narrative world cinema award. Louis Paxton's quirky Scottish film “The Incomer,” about a pair of siblings on a remote island whose lives are upended when an awkward government official arrives to try to evict them, won the innovator award in the festival's NEXT section. Other films that won audience awards included documentaries “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez,” about the pioneering playwright and screenwriter, and “One in a Million,” which chronicled a family's journey from Syria to Germany and back again across 10 years. “American Pachuco” director David Alvarado said Valdez came to the first ever Sundance in 1981, when it was still called the U.S. Film and Video Festival, with the film “Zoot Suit.” That a documentary about him played at the last Sundance in Park City is a full circle moment. “It shows the full commitment to the Latino story that Sundance has always championed,” Alvarado said. The festival previously awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, which celebrates outstanding films representing science or technology, to Andrew Stanton’s “In the Blink of an Eye.”can sometimes be the first stop for eventual Oscar nominees and winners, which notably happened with “CODA” and “Summer of Soul.” Documentaries more so than narrative films have a better track record ofthis year, “The Perfect Neighbor,” “Cutting Through Rocks” and “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” and the two others were among the festival favorites,Last year’s U.S. Dramatic grand jury prize went to the war satire “Atropia,” while the audience award was given to the dark comedy “Twinless,” with Dylan O’Brien.Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.San Antonio’s all-female Paintball Ladies aims to foster empowerment, communityDozens of high school students in SA expected to walk out of schools to protest ICE on FridayCybersecurity expert warn of rising ghost tapping scam targeting credit cards, digital walletsKSAT's Erica Hernandez describes moment law enforcement deployed tear gas on protestersTensions rise between protesters and law enforcement at Dilley immigration facilitySan Antonio nonprofit drives new connections for veterans, first responders on the pickleball courtProtesters gather in Dilley to march to immigration detention centerProperty owner battles CPS Energy over power pole dispute: ‘Where are our rights as landowners?’San Antonio councilwoman gets probation, lower charge in DWI case plea dealNASA aircraft makes belly landing at airport in HoustonIs your TikTok not working properly? Here's what you should knowThe Texas freeze shut down a lot of regular weekend stops for neighbors, including farmers markets.
U.S. News Nisha Ganatra Andrew Stanton Justin Chang Beth De Araújo Eugene Hernandez Jenny Slate Entertainment Azazel Jacobs Chris Pine Gemma Chan Dylan O'brien Channing Tatum
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Sundance Film Festival: Channing Tatum drama ‘Josephine’ wins top jury and audience awardsBeth de Araújo’s family drama “Josephine” has won the top prizes at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
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