Saint Judy

Saint Judy is an American biographical drama film directed by Sean Hanish about Judy Wood, an immigration attorney who changed the law on granting asylum in the United States to save the lives of women. It stars Michelle Monaghan and Alfred Molina. Molina serves as an executive producer of the film. The screenplay was written by a former intern of Wood. It premiered at the 2018 LA Film Festival. It was released on March 1, 2019, by Blue Fox Entertainment.

Plot
Saint Judy tells the story of Los Angeles immigration attorney Judy Wood, who single-handedly changed United States asylum law to include women to be a part of the protected class. Wood's victory is believed by immigration advocates to have saved the lives of tens of thousands of female immigrants around the world. The film starts from her move with her son from New Mexico to Los Angeles so her son can be closer to his dad, her work in an immigration law office, then in her own law office and in particular the case of an Asefa Ashwari, a teacher from Afghanistan facing deportation to her win in the 9th Circuit. It depicts her dedication to her clients over her family.

Cast

 * Michelle Monaghan as Judy Wood
 * Judith L. Wood as Herself (Cameo before credits)
 * Leem Lubany as Asefa
 * Common as Benjamin Adebayo
 * Fahim Fazli as Taliban Leader
 * Peter Krause as Matthew
 * Ben Schnetzer as Parker
 * Waleed Zuaiter as Omar
 * Mykelti Williamson as Dikembe Mustafa
 * Gabriel Bateman as Alex Wood
 * Aimee Garcia as Celi
 * Kevin Chapman as Officer King
 * Gil Birmingham as Michael Bowman
 * Alfred Molina as Ray Hernandez
 * Alfre Woodard as Judge Benton

Production
Principal photography began in May 2017 in Los Angeles.

Box office
Saint Judy grossed $78,935 in the United States and Canada and $17,277 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $96,212.

Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on  reviews, with an average rating of. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Festivals and awards
Saint Judy is nominated for an LA Muse award at the Los Angeles Film Festival 2018, Best International Film at London Raindance Film Festival 2018, and a Mind the Gap award at Mill Valley Film Festival 2018. Michelle Monaghan is nominated for Best Performance at London Raindance Film Festival 2018.