10-year-old San Francisco girl enters the Oscar race for best actress

For most actors, winning an Oscar is the pinnacle of their career, an achievement that often takes decades. One young San Franciscan may achieve it for her very first role.

Mason Reeves, the 10-year-old who helmed Sundance standout “Josephine,” will be entered into the Oscar race for lead actress by the film’s distributor Sumerian Pictures, as reported by Variety. The film earned rare accolades at the Sundance Film Festival in a grand jury prize and an audience award, a feat last achieved by “CODA” in 2021 (which went on to win best picture). In addition to those accolades, the San Francisco-set film may have won the unofficial award for hardest film at the festival to watch – the subject matter is so sensitive that Reeves wasn’t allowed to see it in its entirety at its premiere.

According to Variety, the record for youngest best actress nominee is Quvenzhané Wallis for “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” who was 9 years old at the time. The youngest winner was 21-year-old Marlee Matlin for “Children of a Lesser God” in 1987.

Reeves plays the titular character Josephine, who witnesses a rape in Golden Gate Park while on a run with her father Damien, played by Channing Tatum. In the aftermath of the incident, Josephine becomes the crucial witness in a trial against the perpetrator. Gemma Chan plays Josephine’s mother Claire, who, along with Damien, tries to help Josephine process her trauma while navigating a legal trial that requires her testimony. The plot is inspired by real-life events experienced by director Beth de Araújo.

Araújo first discovered Reeves at the Clement Street Farmers Market.

From left, Channing Tatum, Mason Reeves and Gemma Chan pose during a photo call for the film "Josephine," which is presented in competition at the 76th Berlinale in Berlin on Feb. 20, 2026. (Ralf Hirschberger/AFP via Getty Images)

From left, Channing Tatum, Mason Reeves and Gemma Chan pose during a photo call for the film “Josephine,” which is presented in competition at the 76th Berlinale in Berlin on Feb. 20, 2026. (Ralf Hirschberger/AFP via Getty Images)

“I was at the farmers market with our dog and Beth just came over and scouted me,” Reeves told SFGATE on the red carpet at Sundance. “My mom does commercials, and I wanted to be an actor and I still do, but she said no because she doesn’t believe in child actors. But the universe granted my wish and here I am, a child actress.”

Both Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan will also be submitted for supporting actor and actress consideration, and de Araújo will be entered for best director and original screenplay. Nominations will not be announced until Jan. 21, 2027, but studios typically begin campaigning for their films during the fall festival circuit. Surprisingly, the Bay Area plays a crucial role in courting Oscar voters, as the region has the third-most voters behind Los Angeles and New York.

Beth de Araújo, left, and Mason Reeves at the Deadline portrait studio at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 24, 2026. (Deadline via Getty Images)

The film is set to have a limited release starting on Nov. 20, with a nationwide expansion on Dec. 4. Bay Area audiences will have an opportunity to see it early at this year’s Mill Valley Film Festival in October, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.)

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