When a drunken teenage kiss propels Janie and Alex’s quirky friendship into a hidden love affair, the conservative ideologies of their hometown force them to confront the truth about their sexualities, and the future of their relationship. Shying away from southern stereotypes, WHISTLE DOWN WIND explores the impact of conservative ideology, family and grief on sexuality.

WHISTLE DOWN WIND would be one of the first Western North Carolina-based independent feature films to magnify LBGT+ relationships in the early 2000s. This queer-led project centers the lived experiences of the cast and crew, creating both a powerful narrative of queer visibility and a community-forward filmmaking experience.

After the short version of WHISTLE DOWN WIND had a successful run in the Southeastern festival circuit, co-writers Andie Morgenlander (she/they) and Julia Christgau (she/her) spent 2020 and 2021 expanding the story into a feature-length script. As they wrote, they connected on their distinctive experiences of queerness and living in the South. Andie and Julia have produced short and low-budget feature films that have screened at festivals like the Atlanta Underground Film Festival, Indie Grits Film Festival, Portland Comedy Film Festival, OutSouth Queer Film Festival, and more. 

This feature, produced by Justice Film Collective and Solis Films, is GREENLIT for this Summer! We start shooting in June, in collaboration with Western Carolina University's Film and Television program. We're excited to have eighteen students from WCU working on our set in key crew positions! In addition to sharing this powerful LGBT+ story, we're mentoring and partnering with the next generation of filmmakers.

Our feature project was a finalist in WarnerMedia x New Orleans Film Festival's Southpitch Competition, and has been awarded grants from Campaign for Southern Equality, Blue Ridge Pride and Cucalorus Film Festival.

We've raised 50% of our budget through these grants, grassroots fundraising events and our previous crowdfunding campaign...and now, we need YOUR SUPPORT to get to the finish line! Our goal is to raise $25,000 in the next thirty days. The remaining funds we raise will go towards...crew housing, food, supplies for our set medical professionals, location costs and payment for our cast/crew.
 

Scroll up, click “DONATE” and make a pledge! Our project is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas (hooray!) and your donations are tax deductible. 

Share our campaign to Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook...wherever you hang out online.
 
Text or email five of your best film-loving friends with the campaign link! It truly does take a village, so spreading the word about WHISTLE DOWN WIND is invaluable. 

Follow + Tag @justicefilmcollective @solisfilms and/or @whistledownwindfilm so that we can uplift your posts! You can also follow either of these accounts on Instagram + Facebook for updates on the project.

Have a catering connection in Asheville, Dillsboro or Sylva, North Carolina? What about access to a cabin, a potential living space for our crew, or a house that could be used as a location? In-kind support is incredibly helpful at this point in the process, so if you want to support in that way, don't hesitate to reach out to whistledownwindfilm@gmail.com.

In order to create an environment of mutual care on-set, we’re shooting WHISTLE DOWN WIND through an ethical filmmaking framework. The framework encompasses on-set culture and mental/physical/emotional well-being. Historically, the film industry has been riddled with harmful practices, placing crew members’ human needs last on the priority list. We believe those at the forefront of the filmmaking process should be treated as sacred human artists.

Made with a cast and crew who understand the narrative on a soul level, this one-of-a-kind project is profoundly important for our North Carolina filmmaking community. Thank you so much for supporting WHISTLE DOWN WIND…we are overjoyed to be on this journey with you!

Learn More: https://www.whistledownwind.com/

Whistle Down Wind is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Whistle Down Wind must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.