SA siblings’ debut film chosen for BFI London Film Festival

Finding Optel, co-directed by 25-year-old Mikayla Joy Brown and her 29-year-old brother, Jesse Brown, will have its international premiere at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival, taking place from 8-19 October 2025.

Teenager Claire Abrahams runs a lost and found service where she locates anything and everything that has been misplaced. When Optel, the community dog, goes missing, Claire must confront her brother’s painful disappearance in order to solve her biggest case yet.   

Watch the trailer for Finding Optel 

The BFI London Film Festival describes the film as “heartwarming… a quirky detective story that skilfully tackles childhood grief.”

Finding Optel had its South African premiere at the kykNET Silwerskerm Festival in August, where the whimsical detective story received a standing ovation, a nomination for Paul Guyeu’s cinematography, and the Best Production Design award for Sumaya Wicomb.

Mikayla stars as Claire, supported by an all-star cast that includes award winner Oscar Petersen (Joe Barber) as her father, South African Film and Television Award nominee Zenobia Kloppers (Fiela se Kind), Rodney ‘Rotas’ Goliath and Sherman Pharo (both Arendsvlei), Maurice Carpede and Euodia Samson (both Summertide), Elton Landrew (Spinners, Carissa), and Omar Adams (Barakat, The Umbrella Men).

Award winners Quanita Adams and Dominique Jossie are producing through Blended Films, which won four Silwerskerm awards last year for Hier.Na.

Dominique jumped at the chance to make a film for the whole family. “As a parent of a five- and a seven-year-old, I was excited to make a film we could all sit down and enjoy together, and my kids have already watched Finding Optel on repeat. We need more family stories from South Africa, films rooted in our own communities and our own lives, so our children grow up not only seeing themselves on screen, but celebrating who they are.”

See Mikayla Joy Brown in the brand-new trailer for the BFI London Film Festival

Finding Optel was written as part of Mikayla’s Creative Writing Honours at Stellenbosch University and produced as part of Showmax’s first-time directors slate to open up the African industry in partnership with The Joburg Film Festival. 

“I was very nervous to direct my first feature film and wanted my brother, Jesse, to do it,” says Mikayla. ”He, however, encouraged me to do it together with him. I’m glad we did; we worked well as a team.”

“We actually have a long history of collaboration,” says Jesse. “Back when I got my first cellphone when I was 12 years old, I would film all sorts of clips, and Mikayla was often the lead actress. We made a lot of silly shorts over the years, and we have a good understanding of what we both like and look for.”

The siblings were inspired by their childhood memories of Montevideo on the Cape Flats.

“Growing up, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house there,” says Mikayla. “I have such fond memories of the parks, the winkeltjie, and the wide-open streets we played in. I wanted to capture those memories in the screenplay.”

She also leaned into the distinctive language of her community. “Mikayla enjoys writing dialogue based on our family’s use of language,” says Jesse. “There’s something about the way we speak to one another colloquially that is so enjoyable to listen to. We tend to quote things to one another that someone said 10, 15 years ago!“

The production design and cinematography capture the beauty of their community. 

“A lot of films about the Cape Flats focus on gangsterism and violence,” says Mikayla. “Though this is sadly a reality, it’s not the only reality. There is such beauty that exists in those communities. I wanted Finding Optel to portray a different narrative that is more hopeful than harrowing. The story is presented through Claire’s eyes. She is full of life, child-like, and imaginative. I wanted to bring that lens to the art direction and the cinematography.”

“We had a strong sense about the style from the beginning,” says Jesse. “While I lean towards serious arthouse films, Mikayla appreciates quirkier, light-hearted films. We thought this would help Finding Optel have emotional weight while also being fun. The idea was to show a different side of the Cape Flats, and this needed to be reflected in the film’s style as well. We drew from films like Amélie and The Royal Tenenbaums without wanting to emulate them too much.”

Rated 10-12 PG V, the charming family film starts streaming on Showmax in Africa from Friday, 24 October 2025. MultiChoice Studios is handling international sales.