Yunqi Yu

Our Story

Sundown is a short drama being created by the WA Screen Academy (WASA) students in collaboration with the Western Australian Screen Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) 3rd year actors.

A young man faced with his grandmothers deteriorating dementia must choose whether to help her with her final request or continue living in denial.

Sundown tells the story of Joe, a young man who must come to terms with the fact that his grandmother has dementia and can no longer remember him. Having been raised by his grandparents, Joe is faced with a tough moral dilemma; to grant his grandmother her final wish, acknowledging her deteriorating state, or continue living his life and avoid responsibility. Sundown follows Joe as he battles his own demons all whilst addressing the concepts of grief, love and loss as well as raising awareness of the impact of dementia on its sufferers and their families.

To stay up to date with the latest news; see behind the scenes photos, and track our progress follow our facebook page!

Sundown Facebook Page

The Cast

Lachlan Stevenson - Joe Jagoda

Lachlan is an actor origninating from Townsville in North Queensland. At the age of 15 he began his training with TheatreiNQ’s The Bridge Project. A practical mentorship aimed at bridging the gap between regional talent and industry run by company founders Terri Brabon and Brendan O’Connor. 

After spending three years with the Bridge Project, Lachlan began his Bachelor of Arts (Acting) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts of which he is currently in his third and final year.

Davilia O'Connor - Zofia Jagoda

Davilia O'Connor was born in Western Australia and moved to the UK in her twenties to embark on a career in stage, film, television and radio acting. She returned to Perth in 2010 and her recent work includes The Heights (ABC drama), Decadent and Depraved (independent film) and Go! (due for release 2019).

Jessica Veitch - Mia Whitemore

Jessica Veitch grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa and began her studies at WAAPA in 2017. She is excited to be playing the character Mia Whitmore, an Occupational Therapist at a nursing home in Sundown. She hopes to bring depth and zeal to her role in this heartfelt film that faces struggle and acceptance. She also loves travelling, animals and carrot cake!

Alexander Dilley - Manning Spiers

Alexander Dilley is a NSW born actor who began his acting training at WAAPA in 2017. Stage highlights at WAAPA have included: Konstantin Treplev in Chekov’s The Seagull and Gabriel Law in Andrew Bovelle’s When the Rain Stops Falling.

The Crew

Yunqi Yu - Producer

Yunqi Yu is a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Media and Communications at Edith Cowan University, majoring in Broadcasting. Now she is completing her Master’s degree at the WA Screen Academy, specialising in Producing and Cinematography.

As the presenter of FM90.5 and much media industry background, Yunqi is looking forward to putting all her passion and skills to bring the upcoming film Sundown to life.

Alexander Mankowski - Director

Alexander Mankowski graduated from Murdoch University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Media, focusing mainly on producing. In 2017 he completed an honours degree in Screen Production and directed his first short film “In the Clouds.”. 

Alexander applied for the Screen Academy with the intention of arming himself with skills and attributes to become a great visual storyteller and being able to make emotional impactful dramas that can change people’s outlooks on life. Alexander hopes that Sundown will open people’s eyes on the importance of family and connection.

Charlotte Bayly - Writer

Charlotte graduated Curtin University with a Bachelor in Screen Arts in 2016. It was here that she developed her passion for both Screenwriting and Production design. After graduation, Charlotte worked in the art department on projects such as Otherlife, Top Knot Detective, Hounds of Love and most recently The Heights. 

In 2019 Charlotte decided to develop to her screenwriting skills and is currently completing her Master’s degree at the WA Screen Academy majoring in Screenwriting.

Liang Xu - Cinematographer

Liang Xu is a freelance Filmmaker currently residing in WA. Liang originally studied Bachelor of Video Art at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in China. After graduating and moving to Australia, Liang pursued his interest in film and studied an Advanced Diploma of Digital Cinema at North Metropolitan TAFE. Since leaving TAFE, Liang has worked as a freelance videographer, editor and production designer. As he has a long background of studying fine art, he has always wanted to express his work in visual languages. 

In 2018 he decided to further develop his film-making skills and began studying cinematography at the WA Screen Academy. At the Screen Academy, Liang is building his skills as a cinematographer and he hopes to bring his understanding of visual and contemporary art to Sundown.

Kate Campbell - Editor

Being the creative in an academic household was fuel for Kate growing up. From drawing on walls to wasting mum’s film to take blurry photos, everything was encouraged to grow into the love and passion she now expresses through her work. Having completed an Advanced Diploma in screen and media in 2018, Kate is eager to bring all the skills she has learnt throughout the last few years into this project. 

After listening to her sister talk about working in age care, Kate thought of the concept for Sundown. When it was chosen she happily handed it over to the Screen Academy team to collaborate and transform it into the amazing story it has become. Kate is excited to bring this valuable film to life as the editor.

James Brock - Sound

A child of both the University and TAFE institutions, James began his journey into the media industry and sound design in 2014, when he took the role of sound recordist for a university film project when no one else would. Since then, he has been enthralled with the role of the sound designer and has spent the past 4 years honing his skills, before returning to ECU to complete his studies at the WA Screen Academy.

Having worked on the previous Screen Academy film ‘RAW’, James is excited to have the opportunity to take on the role of Sound Designer for ‘Sundown’, as it will give him the opportunity to push his technical and creative limits to bring such a heartfelt story to life.

All of the funds raised will go towards making Sundown the best possible film it can be.

Props and Costumes - $900

We have a fantastic real nursing home as our location, fabulous props will dress this empty nursing home as great as it can be.

Actors - $300

We'll have professional actors to help us bring this touching movies to life.

Traffic - $300

One of our main locations will be located in Northbridge without free parking, these money will be used for our crew's parking fees.

Festival Entries - $300

Once 'Sundown' is completed we would like to enter the film into a number of different festivals to share the story we created.

Catering - $1200

We will use those money to feed our crew and cast for the whole shooting period.

With the amazing assistance from you and your donations, we can fund all the above attributes and breathe life into our short film concept!