Sundown

Logline: A dutiful yet exhausted caregiver shares a special bond with her dementia-inflicted patient.

Sundown is a short film that sheds light on the life of caregivers to loved ones with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Centered around the evening routine of a mother and daughter, the burden of Alzheimers takes on a character of its own, rattling their emotions and confusing their relationship. But despite the struggles of the day and the forgotten memories, as the sun falls below the horizon, the love between mother and daughter remains.

  • Tony F Marquez
    Director
    FilAm
  • Kathleen Barth
    Writer
  • Emilee Reynolds
    Producer
  • Tony Marquez
    Producer
  • Ren Hanámi
    Key Cast
    "MARIA"
  • Mae Claire
    Key Cast
    "SANDRA"
  • Kwanza Gooden
    Executive Producer
  • Erlinda Ramos Casuga-Marquez
    Executive Producer
  • Enrique Cruz
    Consulting Producer
  • Kathleen Barth
    Consulting Producer
  • Chris Galvez
    Associate Producer
  • Meron Amanuel
    Associate Producer
  • Andy Bui
    Director of Photography
  • Kimiko Rice
    Production Designer
  • Evan Rowland
    Assistant Director
  • Whitney Goller
    Production Assistant
  • Jorge Almaraz
    Sound Mixer
  • Vaughn Deneef
    Camera Operator
  • Davin Lee
    1st Assistant Camera
  • JC Ramirez
    2nd Assistant Camera
  • Lauren Kelly
    Script Supervisor
  • Joseph Baca
    Gaffer
  • Zach Griffin
    Editor
  • Brandon Doughtry
    Colorist
  • John Nathans
    Post Sound Mixer
  • Delena Veirs
    Hair Stylist
  • Hillary Zinks
    Make Up Stylist
  • Alejandro Marmolejo
    Art Director
  • Nicole Ouellette
    Costume Designer
  • Martie Faye
    Music Artist
  • Lora Cunningham
    Site Representative
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Family
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    18,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Sony
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Tony F Marquez

Tony is a Filipino American filmmaker based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Originally from the Washington DC metro area, his love of storytelling grew from playing with cameras as a way of visual self-expression to understanding the power it has to connect and empathize with people who are far different than him. Tony has been fortunate to work on and learn from shows such as, Criminal Minds, Young Sheldon and Barbie as a production assistant. He was accepted into the Sundance Director Core Masterclass in 2020 and created two microbudget short films during the Covid-19 pandemic. He then created a crowdfunded short film titled FilAm, which is a coming of age story about a young Filipino American boy, which sheds light on the Filipino American experience. It has had success in the festival circuit being a winner at the Hollywood Blvd Film Fest (2023), Honorable Mention at the Hollywood New Directors Festival (2023) and Quarter Finalist Winner at The Bay International Film Festival (2023). In 2024 he moved from Los Angeles to Albuquerque after becoming a Directors of America Guild Member as a 2nd 2nd Assistant Director. While continuing to work in production as an Assistant Director, he still is creating independent short films in-between jobs – honing his skills as a storyteller and his goal to become a director in the entertainment industry. His next project is titled Sundown, a story about a young caretaker watching over an elderly patient suffering from dementia. This story comes from real life experiences as Tony lost his mother in 2023 after her battle with dementia and heart failure. Sundown is currently in post production with a 2026 festival release. Tony found his voice in telling personal stories to connect with others and finds filmmaking a cathartic process to empathize with the world.

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Director Statement

This story comes from a very personal place for me. The characters are based on my late mother, Erlinda, and my sisters who did their best to take care of her throughout her struggle with Dementia. The film is both a cathartic piece of work for me and a way to raise awareness of the painful experience of having a parent develop Dementia. More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and 1 in 3 seniors die with Alzheimer’s or another form of Dementia (Alzheimer’s Association, 2023). Shockingly, the Dementia Society of America found that if all forms of Dementia were combined, it is estimated to be the second leading cause of death globally, behind heart disease (2023). This information and my lived experiences in mind, I was surprised there weren’t more stories out there that reflect what my family and so many families across the world went through, and are still going through. That is why I’m making this film.