On Saturday, March 9, Saint Judy opens in Madison for a two-week run at Marcus Point Cinema on Mineral Point Road. The film, directed and produced by UW-Madison alumni, portrays the true story of Los Angeles immigration attorney Judy Wood, who saved thousands of lives by helping to institute legal protections for women seeking asylum in the United States. Michelle Monaghan (Mission: Impossible – Fallout) stars as the film’s title character, along with Leem Lybany, Common, Alfred Molina and Alfre Woodard.
Please note: On Friday, March 8, at 7 p.m., the film will be shown for one night at Marcus Majestic Cinema of Brookfield, Wisconsin. Director Sean Hanish, who graduated from UW-Madison in 1990 with bachelors degrees in communication arts and economics, will participate in a Q&A led by department chair Kelley Conway. The following night, March 9, the film begins its two-week run in Madison. After the 7:45 screening on March 9 at Marcus Point Cinema, Hanish will be interviewed in a Q&A format by communication arts professor Sara McKinnon (whose book, Gendered Asylum, deals with themes addressed in the film).
Previously, Hanish directed and produced the feature Sister Cities (2016). His debut feature was 2014’s Satellite Award-winning television drama Return to Zero, starring Minnie Driver. For that film, Hanish was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award and Driver was nominated for an Emmy Award. As a writer, director and producer, Hanish is known for character-driven storytelling with a positive social message.
Hanish earned a master of arts at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, and is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America. He started his film and commercial production company, Cannonball Productions, in 2004. The company is based in Pasadena, California.
Executive producers on the film include UW-Madison alumni Kelly Kahl, a 1989 communication arts graduate and president of CBS Entertainment, George Hamel, a 1980 communication arts graduate, and Pamela Hamel.
“It is a big Badger production,” says Hanish. “I’m excited to come to Madison to discuss the film.”
For media inquiries: Contact Kelley Conway, chair, Communication Arts kelleyconway@wisc.edu