Director's Note
 

“100 Sunset” is about a breach of trust that sends ripples through an immigrant community dealing with aspiration and uncertainty in a new country. It explores how individuals strive for stability and connection within a shifting social and financial landscape, where the pursuit of fortune leads to unforeseen consequences.

I started writing the script for “100 Sunset” in 2022 while living in Parkdale, Toronto. The neighborhood, and the Tibetan community which it is home to, are its setting and cast. Auditions were held at a local community center in 2023. The film’s two leads, Kunsel and Passang, were both cast through a serendipitous process; Kunsel is the daughter of a friend of assistant director (and Buddhist monk) Khenpo Ngawang Woser, and Passang was a server at a Tibetan restaurant I frequented. For a full year, I spent one day of every weekend with them. Together we watched movies, explored the city, and rehearsed scenes, as I slowly got to know the two young women. Throughout the year, my team and I scouted local restaurants and homes in the Westlodge apartment complex in Parkdale. While “100 Sunset” is fiction, its development and preparation were inextricably influenced by its setting and these interactions.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to my team and to the Tibetan community for their extraordinary effort. My hope is that audiences enjoy these intimate glimpses into an immigrant community, and that the film allows us to ponder the unseen forces that shape our lives.