Two women face to face outdoors, a small bouquet of daisies between them.

Whistle Down Wind

a film by andie morgenlander

Watch

The trailer

Project Timeline

Years in the Making

A queer love story told across three decades in a small Appalachian town, where a hidden love runs up against the place that made them.

  1. 2019

    Short Film

    A short concept film toured the festival circuit: OUTSouth Queer Film Festival, Indie Grits, Carrboro Film Festival, and more.

  2. 2023

    Funded

    The feature was funded through grassroots financing, grants, and crowdfunding.

  3. 2024

    Production

    Professionals and students from Western Carolina University crewed the film, produced within an ethical filmmaking framework.

  4. 2026

    World Premiere

    Submitting to film festivals, with the world premiere set for this fall.

  5. 2027

    Impact Screenings

    A screening campaign with queer care corners: free clothes closets, mini-resources, and hyper-local offerings.

Two girls resting their foreheads together, lit in cool blue light.

1996

Children

Two teenage girls hugging and laughing in a blue-lit bedroom.

2004

Teenagers

Two women laughing together in warm, low light.

2012

Adulthood

Two young girls standing close in a doorway at night, lit pink and blue.

Catch it on the big screen

Find a Screening

Whistle Down Wind begins its festival run in 2026. Join us for a screening, or let us know if you’d like to host one.

See screenings
“
Andie's film presents audiences with something simultaneously so fresh you can taste it and something so damn Southern in its flavor.
— David Delaney Mayer

Made in North Carolina

Mist rolling over green Appalachian mountains at dusk.
A quiet small-town street beside a railroad crossing.
A single purple wildflower in dark forest light.
A North Carolina state flag hanging from a porch.

Awards & Grants

Recognition

Feature Film Semi-Finalist

2025

PANO Grant

Shortlisted for PANO Network's finishing-funds grant for LGBTQ+ and female filmmakers.

Grant Awardee

2024

Footcandle Film Society

Sole winner of finishing funds supporting a North Carolina maker completing their feature film.

Grant Awardee

2023

Filmed in NC x Cucalorus Film Festival

Funds for NC film projects that center historically silenced voices.

Grant Awardee

2022

Community Partner Fund x Blue Ridge Pride

Support for Appalachian, LGBTQ+-focused initiatives.

Grant Finalist

2022

Campaign for Southern Equality

Artist grant round supporting LGBTQ+ and community-centered projects in the South.

Awardee & Finalist

2021

WarnerMedia x New Orleans Film Festival

One of six finalists for a premier Southern-story funding initiative at an Oscar-qualifying festival.

Two women holding each other in a sunlit kitchen.

Get in touch

Say hello

Press, programming, distribution, or just a kind word — we’d love to hear from you.

Contact us