With their third collaboration, filmmakers Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson continue to caress our deepest reserves of humanity and deftly intertwine heartbreak with humor; this time, through a tender portrayal of teen life in turmoil. The duo’s Ghostlight breakout Katherine Mallen Kupferer sensitively plays Minnie, a shy Arkansan braving a crushingly abrupt end to her lifelong best-friendship to the popular, multitalented Callie (Chloe Coleman) at the start of their once hope-filled senior year. Deeply lived-in observations on amity, family, and class glimmer everywhere in this uniquely perceptive coming-of-age tale, from Minnie’s bonds with the two mothers in her life—her own, bighearted veterinarian parent, Barbara (Tara Mallen), and Callie’s orderly and elegant mom, Helen (Sophie Okonedo, delivering another breathtaking performance this year along with Clarissa)—to the analog rhythms of high school before touchscreens and social media swarmed in. Attuned to the mysterious ebbs and flows of grief, Mouse is a gentle stunner. —Tomris Laffly

Sophie Okonedo will receive the Mind the Gap Award for Groundbreaking Work for her performance in Mouse. Her decades of fearless, transformative work continue to open doors for women in the industry. British actress SOPHIE OKONEDO made her big-screen debut in Young Soul Rebels and has since established a prolific presence in cinema and television, as well as an award-winning career in theater. This year alone, in addition to Mouse, she is starring in Clarissa, which also screens at the Festival. Among her film highlights are Dirty Pretty Things (2002); Hotel Rwanda (2004), for which she received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar® nomination; Skin (2007); War Book (2014); Wild Rose (2018); Catherine Called Birdy (2022); and Janet Planet (2023). On television, she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress Role in a Drama Series for Ratched, and she had a recurring role on Slow Horses (2022-23). She won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in a 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun. Okonedo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019.