Laguna Niguel Actress Takes Home 2 Best Young Actress Awards

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — A young Laguna Niguel actress took home two Best Young Actress Awards for her role in the 2021 film, "Message from the Mermaids." Twelve-year-old Kayden Tokarski won an international Gold Best Young Actress award from the Independent Shorts Film Festival and a Best Young Actress award from the Venice Shorts Film Festival.

"Wow, I feel so excited, honored and shocked. What an incredible honor … I just started acting two years ago and never expected to receive one let alone two best actress awards," Tokarski told Patch. "I am so grateful and honored to have played this amazing role and to have worked with such a wonderful cast and crew."

Tokarski added that while the acting industry is a notoriously tough one, she perseveres by reminding herself to keep pushing forward and to never give up.

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Tokarski served as the keynote speaker for the 33rd Annual Walk Against Drugs in Mission Viejo, in which she recorded a statement calling for the rejection of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The young actress has been acting since she was 10 and is featured on shows such as, "The Mandalorian," "Modern Family" and "NCIS."

"Message from the Mermaids" tells the story of a young girl named Haven, played by Tokarski, who finds a bottled message on the shores of a beach. From that message, Haven is convinced her true family is not on land, but in the ocean waters.

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Tokarski has also starred in several short films, including "My Melancholy Baby," a film written by Orange County screenwriter Keith Sharon and available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.