Hello Everyone!

My name is Kaleigh O’Leary and I'm beyond thrilled to share my upcoming NYU junior year film project—an 8-minute short film entitled ‘August Burns Red’ that represents a pivotal moment in my creative journey. As the writer and director of this project, this film is both the precursor to green-lighting my senior thesis production and a passion project that blends compelling storytelling, visual artistry, and deep emotional themes - but to bring it to life, I need your support!

Your contributions will help cover essential costs like locations, crew transportation and meals, production design, and post-production, ensuring that this story is told in the best way possible. Whether big or small, every donation gets myself and my extremely talented and dedicated student crew of fifteen people onestep closer to making this vision a reality.

‘August Burns Red’ follows the story of August, an estranged older brother hollowed out by self-loathing and the remnants of substance dependence as he struggles to find the courage to reconnect with his younger brother.

This film is a character study at its core—an exploration of guilt, self-destruction, and the quiet ache of wanting to make things right but feeling unworthy of redemption. I’ve always been drawn to flawed characters, not because they’re broken, but because they’re human. The older brother in this story isn’t a villain or a victim—he’s someone wrestling with himself, with the choices he’s made, and the version of himself he’s afraid to become. I want to capture the beauty in his flaws, the raw, unfiltered emotions that come with regret and longing. There’s something deeply cinematic in those in-between moments—the hesitation before dialing a number, the way smoke lingers in the air like unspoken words, the way love and pain can exist in the same breath. This film isn’t about easy resolutions; it’s about the struggle to believe you deserve one. Through intimate framing, restrained performances, and a color palette that mirrors the weight of nostalgia and regret, I want to immerse audiences in this character’s headspace—his loneliness, his self-imposed isolation, and ultimately, his hope. Because even in our worst moments, there’s still a chance to reach out.

Please join me in bringing this film to life – and thank you for believing in independent storytelling!