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In October 2025, Miles Away hit the ground running with its world premiere in Austin, TX. Less than a month later, the comedy-drama received Best Direction of a Narrative Feature Film at the Urban World Film Festival, presented by New York Women in Film & Television. And in November, it won Best Feature at the Alpine International Film Festival in Switzerland.
Clearly, Quinones's first feature-length film is off to the races.
Filling multiple roles as the writer, director, and producer, Jackie Quinones also stars in the film alongside co-stars and Executive Producers Luis Guzmán and Andre Royo. In an exclusive interview with The League of Filmmakers, Quinones explains what her new film is all about:
"It's a day in the life of a rideshare driver who's trying to make her dreams come true as a filmmaker in good old Tinseltown, and she has this crazy cast of characters coming in and out of her car throughout the day, and a family who's driving her nuts that lives across the country."
During the pandemic, Quinones found herself in a similar situation as her protagonist when she briefly worked as a rideshare driver in Los Angeles while the film industry took a temporary pause. Far from discouraging her creative efforts, Quinones says working as a rideshare driver "sheds light on humanity in a way that walking around normally throughout your life doesn't."
"We all have our own initial judgements when we meet people," she says. "I think that's what the film is about too — it's about what we see versus who were, and these brief moments of honesty and vulnerability when walls come down with people that you'll never see again, but in some shape or form shift the way you see things in life."
Q. You worked as a rideshare driver in the same city that the film took place in. How did that feel for you? Were they the same locations?
A. No, they weren't the same locations. A lot of what was in the film was inspired by my time as a driver, so it was a lot of fun to take those stories that I had and just play – to increase the tension, to use creative license to create something more fun and interesting.
Q. What was your most interesting experience as a rideshare driver in Los Angeles?
A. I will never forget I had driven the parent of a famous individual who had taken their own life. But I didn't know who this person was. We had quite a long conversation and it was pretty heartfelt, and then he divulged this information to me. It was a really beautiful experience because he was so vulnerable and honest, and it felt like he was telling someone this for the first time — like I might have created a safe enough space for him to talk about something that was so emotional for him... I was so honored that he trusted me with that.
Q. You get to see the unscripted versions of people when they're taking a ride to work or having a long day. It's not like you're meeting somebody on a planned schedule.
A. I think there's something safe in knowing that you'll never see this person again and you can say something that you might never say to anyone else who knows you. There's something safe about anonymity.
Q. How much would you say your success as a creative writer comes down to chance encounters?
A. All of it. Everything from watching the way someone boards a train or a plane, to having long, heartfelt conversations with friends and family. I feel like they somehow infiltrate my psyche in some way. And when you write, if you get into flow state, a lot of that comes through the subconscious. Everything, I think, is fodder for inspiration.
Q. As young filmmakers, we often hold down side-gigs like ridesharing to support ourselves and our creative work. You've done a remarkable job of weaving your personal experiences with your art. Do you have any advice for the rest of us?
A. Continue doing the work and putting yourself out there. You never know who's going to see your work.
