"If Tears Were Gold" A Musical Family Drama Short Film

We're raising funds to shoot If Tears Were Gold, a musical family drama short film based on my experiences caregiving for my Nana (Sally Sweeney) towards the end of her life. Nana suffered from dementia and sundowners syndrome that caused auditory hallucinations, and she often thought it was my band playing music.

While fiction, If Tears Were Gold is largely based on real events. It also features a song of the same name that Nana and I co-wrote together leading up to her 90th birthday. She was so proud of that song! And I'm very proud to pay tribute to her and our musical collaboration with this short film.

The film will be shot at Nana's old house in Tenino, WA. I've assembled an amazingly talented crew from Portland, OR and we're planning production for mid-September 2024. I hope you'll help us make this beautiful and very personal musical film in loving memory of Nana!

- Adam Sweeney, Writer/Director

Synopsis: A young punk musician returns home to rural Washington State to help care for their aging Nana Sally who is troubled by music no one else can hear. As Sally's dementia deepens, a new song materializes uniting the family with a very unexpected and unlikely collaboration.

The Crew

Writer/Director: Adam Sweeney

Producer: Joanna Fang

Assistant Director: Maria Jose Moreno

Director of Photography: Zach Stoltzfus

1st AC: Anda Arroway

Gaffer: Haley McCoy

G&E Swing: Jaren Kerr

Script Supervisor: Trevor Warren

BTS Photographer: Jay Mendez