Experiencing Interruptions?

The Depression of Detective Downs 2: On Depression's Edge

Detective Rolando Downs is back and this time he has to locate a missing man while trying to keep the emotional and physical symptoms of his depression under control.

  • Anthony Thurman
    Director
  • Anthony Thurman
    Writer
  • Anthony Thurman
    Producer
  • Anthony Thurman
    Key Cast
  • Renee Domenz
    Key Cast
    Early Edition
  • Jose Rosete
    Key Cast
    1000 Ways to Die
  • Shenita Moore
    Key Cast
    The Rookie, Grey's Anatomy
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy, Animation, Crime
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 5, 2011
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival
    Glasgow, Scotland
    October 24, 2011
    Highly Commended
  • HorrorQuest Film Fest
    Atlanta, Georgia
    October 22, 2011
  • Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival
    Austin, Texas
    October 22, 2011
  • InterACT Disability Arts Festival
    Auckland, New Zealand
    October 29, 2011
  • Picture This…Film Festival
    Calgary, Canada
    February 15, 2012
  • Marbella International Film Festival
    Marbella, Spain
    October 4, 2012
  • Gary International Black Film Festival
    Gary
    United States
    October 6, 2012
    Best Local Film
  • Oak Park International Film Festival
    Oak Park, Illinois
    United States
    September 15, 2012
  • Paris Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    April 29, 2021
    NOMINEE - Best Animation Short
  • Sweden Film Awards

    May 2, 2021
    FINALIST - Best Animated
Director Biography - Anthony Thurman

In the summer of 2000, a college student by the name of Anthony Thurman, created a documentary film based on a class trip to a computer show that he and several of his classmates attended. He edited it on a VCR and created his own production company logo to air before and after the film as sort of a joke. This is when the name ALT Key Productions was born. The name comes from a combination of Anthony's initials (A.L.T.) and a reference to an actual ALT Key on a keyboard since his major in college was Computer Information Systems.

The film was such a surprise hit with the people at his college, that he realized he should start taking filmmaking seriously. About a year later, Anthony decided that it might be best to further his college education by fulfilling his dream of going to an art school. After being accepted, it wasn't soon after that Anthony understood that the cost of classes would be too high for him to enroll. One of the advisors at the art school even insisted that he would amount to very little if he let his lack of money stop him from attending.

That same week, Anthony used his frustration towards his unfortunate financial situation, and at what the advisor said, to move him into another positive direction. He decided to go back to work on a short animated project that he had earlier abandoned due to the cancellation of a contest he wanted to enter. He rewrote many aspects of the story and decided to make it 22 minutes and 30 seconds longer than it was originally intended to be. The short was about two explorers in the future who go in search of a lost 20th Century artifact. The name of the short film was "Tomb Hackers." It was the first official film, since his playful stint at documentary filmmaking, to use the name ALT Key Productions.

From then on, Anthony has continued to use his natural artistic abilities and his skills on a computer to create short films that not only entertain, but that often invoke serious thought and conversation.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I decided to direct this film because of my own struggles with depression; and also the fact that the first ‘Detective Downs’ film seemed to be my most well-received film. I wanted to explore the character of Rolando Downs further and explain this time around what caused his depression. This film is very special to me because I was able to get help from very talented actors and production members because they saw how much work I put into the films and they believed in my vision. The goal was to explore mental health in a way that not many films do today. Often times, the depressed person is the bad guy in the film and he’s the one taking hostages or you’re rooting for something bad to happen to him. In this film, it was important to show how capable Downs is as a person and detective. He’s a normal and likeable guy who does his job well. It’s just harder for him to get it done with the everyday problems he faces and his difficulty coping with them. At the end of the day, I’m very proud of this film because it not only entertains people, but helps them to understand themselves better and also those around them.