Published on 12, Jan 2023

Queer Filmmaker/Writer/Actress Whitney Uland on Creating Her Own Niche

LOS ANGELES, California – In the film The Cosmos Sisters, recently released across streaming platforms, following the death of Nora’s mother, Whitney (Uland) accompanies her to find themselves back in their hometown, where their indie band, The Cosmos Sisters, had dominated the scene. After receiving a suspicious request for The Cosmos Sisters to feature in a final show, Uland and her co-star Nora Kaye are lured into a chaotic and darkly hilarious romp.

Queer filmmaker and actor Whitney Uland helmed the project with the intention of having a hand in creating a role for herself. “I’m an actor first, and I didn’t want to play someone’s mistress or someone’s girlfriend, I was wanting a role that I could take more personal pride in,” Uland says. The rising star has contributed to several productions including HBO Max Original Series Love Life in her role as recurring character Keely King, and also served as a writer on The Hating Game starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell.

Uland has taken the lead on several independent projects, such as Hysterical Women and Janessica. Uland’s debut feature film, The Cosmos Sisters, is currently streaming on-demand on platforms including iTunes, Amazon, Spectrum, and Roku. 

Filmed in co-star Kaye’s home in Northampton, Massachusetts, Uland speaks on the character in the setting itself. Identifying as part of the LGBTQ community, she explains weaving this energy into the vibrations of the film.  “Northhampton is culturally the lesbian capital of America, it’s just rooted in so much art and there’s such a great hometown, eclectic vibe to it, so we kind of always had planned on setting it there,” Uland says.

As the film is ultimately about healing grief through art, Uland drew upon her own experiences in writing The Cosmos Sisters. “My dad passed away and that’s been my experience, losing someone and turning to your art to help yourself through it. I feel like grief and time is definitely a recipe for comedy,” Uland says.

In her work both prior and in the development of The Cosmos Sisters, Whitney Uland has crafted an identity in her films and shorts that reflects an energy that’s nuanced but light and optimistic in its spirit. “I look up to great writers like Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling, and at the center of that is communicating both the truth that we all live by, as well as something profound and personal that has a sense of distinction to it. That’s a complicated way of saying you have to find the core of yourself and what it is to be human.”

The Cosmos Sisters is available on-demand on iTunes, Amazon, Spectrum, Roku, as well as YouTube, Google Play, and Vudu.