Michelle Trachtenberg was set to make an upcoming appearance at the SXSW festival before her demise

Michelle Trachtenberg was prepared to return to the public eye before her untimely death at 39.
Jennifer Hutchins, the producer of Trachtenberg's final film Spyral, confirms to PEOPLE that the actress will participate at a fundraiser screening of the documentary on March 12 in Austin, Texas.
According to Hutchins, the Gossip Girl alum planned to attend in person or electronically "depending on her health." According to her, "There was no public announcement planned as we knew it would be a last minute decision if she was up for it."
Trachtenberg finished her voice work for Spyral in 2021, reading from the journal of filmmaker Randall White's wife Michelle Cody White, who died of untreated bipolar disorder, according to TMZ, which was the first to reveal Trachtenberg's scheduled presence. The film's release was pushed back to last year because to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the directors are now attempting to get a wide distribution deal.
"I am deeply saddened by Michelle's passing," Hutchins said in a statement to PEOPLE. "After this film was released, I regarded her as a leader in mental health awareness. She was deeply linked to this narrative and the late Michelle Cody White. I could tell it impacted her in her own heart because she took breaks during the voice over recordings to wipe her tears away, giving her all to the moment. When you watch this film, you can hear the genuine shaking in Michelle's voice as she reads portions from Michelle Cody White's diaries and notebooks."
"Michelle just felt very sweet and easy to talk to," she tells me. "She was telling me how much she adored her cat and shared humorous stories. She was one of those folks you felt you know right away, like an old friend.
Hutchins hopes others will share tales about Trachtenberg, whom she describes as an "amazing person," rather than focusing on her "health problems."
"She's such an inspiration and an amazing actress and contributed so much to the world," she tells me.
The live streaming event (which will take place during the 2025 South by Southwest festival but is not part of the official schedule) will benefit mental health charities such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Save Our Stories, according to the event's website. Save Our Stories has launched a new program that connects social impact films with social impact organisations to raise mental health awareness and urge individuals to seek treatment early.
According to TMZ, the filmmakers will now honour Trachtenberg at the event, which is scheduled to take place two weeks after her death.
Trachtenberg, who had recently received a liver transplant, was discovered dead in New York City on Wednesday, February 26. The New York City Medical Examiner's Office confirmed on February 27 that the actress' family opposed to an autopsy, which means her cause of death will be termed "undetermined."
The appearance would have marked a return to the spotlight for Trachtenberg, who had been living under the radar prior to her death. A friend of the actress previously told Trachtenberg had taken "a step away from Hollywood" in recent years, adding, “She just had the story of childhood stardom. She had a couple roles throughout the last decade, but nothing of real note."

"She really pulled back from Hollywood [in] the last eight years," the insider said of Trachtenberg, who will reprise Georgina Sparks in Max's Gossip Girl revival in 2023. "She was a great girl who just never got her footing, just like many childhood stars."