WINDMILL CITY

THE INSPIRATION & CONCEPT

 Over the summer of 2018 I was road tripping with my friends on our way to the Adirondacks, and I was captivated as we drove through a field of windmills in Lowville NY. They were massive and emitted an eerie foreboding drone. I knew right away that I wanted to show them in my senior thesis film. When I began writing the script of Windmill City, I wanted to create a story of a relationship that wasn’t perfect - but a relationship that was experiencing change and growing pains. I had seen many films in which romantic relationships were portrayed in ways that were black and white - either good or bad. I thought about problems that come up within romantic relationships and how they are overcome if the relationship survives. Change is always a challenge for human beings, but it can be especially difficult for those in relationships to navigate a change together. After spending some time reflecting on my own long term relationship with my fiancè, I realized that I wanted to capture the essence of a transitional period in the lives of two people in love and show that relationships must take effort and mutual growth to have longevity.

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As a storyteller it doesn't feel responsible to lie and say that everyone in long term relationships is always happy or things are always running smoothly; nor does it feel right to show a soap opera relationship constantly exploding with drama. For me it's important to show all the different dynamics that come together when people share their whole lives with one another, not just the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Writer / Director Maria Norris

Windmill City was shot in both Syracuse NY and Lowville NY during late 2018 to early 2019 with an eight-person crew