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Official Trailer
About The Film
Genre
Drama / Short Film
Written & Directed by
Jackson Kwiatkowski
Produced by
Jackson Kwiatkowski
Joshua Collins
Cinematography
Uziel Hernandez Agui
Caroline Bradford
Reed Barnett
Susan Wilder
Cast
Runtime · Year · Language
"Some things we hold onto. Some things we have to let go."
Autumn Leaves is a quiet, unflinching portrait of a young woman fighting to remember who she was before the world got loud.
On the edge of herself, Ellie retreats into memory — not to escape, but to find a reason to stay. Set against the backdrop of her first year at college, the film follows Ellie through a series of ordinary moments that quietly accumulate into something unbearable, until one night forces her to confront the weight she has been carrying alone. Anchored by a singular performance from Caroline Bradford, Autumn Leaves grapples with the invisible architecture of grief, identity, and the memories we return to when everything else falls away.
"A quiet, emotionally raw portrait of memory, identity, and emotional survival."
— Texas Film Festival Judge"The cinematography is Award Worthy. Amazing. Hollywood level look and feel."
— Texas Film Festival Judge"The film approaches nostalgia not as escapism, but as an act of self-preservation, searching childhood for traces of hope and familiarity."
— Texas Film Festival Judge"A well-written narrative with a strong premise and theme about teenage suicide, in which actress Caroline Bradford delivers a strong performance with a strong tone to her character."
— Texas Film Festival JudgeA Message from the Director
Autumn Leaves comes from my own battle with mental health and from watching people I love struggle in silence. For me, cinema has always been an outlet. A way to transform pain into connection, healing, and hope. With this film, I want to be a light in the darkest times, reminding anyone struggling that they are not alone. This is the kind of work I want to dedicate my career to: stories that can truly change the world.
Writer, Director, Producer
Jackson Kwiatkowski
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