May, 2026.- There is a certain kind of filmmaker who does not simply capture images but invites you to taste and smell the place. Sandra Winther is one of them.
The Danish director, who has been described as creating a “sensory language that bridges advertising and cinema,” approaches every frame with an athlete’s instinct for rhythm and energy. Growing up in motion—dancing, surfing, riding motorcycles—she developed a raw, almost primal yearning that now pulses through her visual storytelling. Whether directing sports content or intimate human portraits, she seeks the flow state of peak performance and wants her films to represent it in some way.
Winther’s feature documentary, Lowland Kids—produced by Darren Aronofsky’s company and premiering at CPH:DOX—follows the last two teenagers living on Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana, an island slowly succumbing to the ocean. Shot over six years, the film taught her how to build trust with subjects, honor their stories, and extract what matters from a scene.
What excites her most today is Brazil. Drawn by the openness, spirituality, and rich cinematic tradition of the country, Winther has joined MyMama Entertainment with a desire to “be, experience, and film more and more” there. She sees potential for a second home—a place where landscapes, coastlines, and complex culture can fuel new stories. Her fascination with how environments shape people and the stories they carry is not abstract. It is lived. She loves the noise of a city and the silence of a barren landscape. She loves entering worlds fully, wholeheartedly, with curiosity as her compass.
This is a conversation about movement, memory, and the mutual enchantment that happens when a European director finds her creative home in Brazil.
You’ve been described as creating a “sensory language that bridges advertising and cinema.” What does “sensory language” mean to you as a director?
To me, sensory language means heightening a moment through the magnification of certain details, sometimes unexpected, sometimes abstract, but done in a way that makes the viewer feel like they can almost taste and smell the place. It also specifically represents how I like to capture the natural world and the elements (earth, water, fire, air) which present themselves in my work a lot. There’s always a connection to the outdoors, to the earth, to these things we cannot control.
You grew up as an athlete, and you’ve said this gave you an “instinct for rhythm and energy.” How does your athletic background inform your visual storytelling, particularly when directing sports or movement-based content?
I like intensity. I like movement. I feel the most connected to myself when I’m in motion – dancing, surfing, on the back of a motorcycle. There’s a youthful spirit to that, and I think it comes through in my work more than anything – this air of possibility, of discovery, of taking yourself to places you haven’t been before. This raw, almost primal yearning. I also just love working with athletes and learning about their process. There’s immense power in the flow state one enters at peak performance, and that flow state is what I want the films to represent in some way.
Your feature documentary Lowland Kids premiered at CPH:DOX, was produced by Darren Aronofsky’s company, and follows the last two teenagers living on Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana. How did making that film shape the way you approach commercial projects?
I grew a lot as a filmmaker making Lowland Kids – it was shot over the course of six years, and I changed so much during that time. I learned a lot from spending time with these two young people, watching them become adults in front of the camera. Observing and reacting and then back again. I learned how to build and honor trust with your subjects, honed my interview skills, grew confident in my abilities to extract what’s important from a scene. And now I’m really excited about taking everything I learned in documentary and bringing it into fiction – telling stories that feel intimate, real and grounded.
You’ve joined MyMama Entertainment and expressed a strong interest in Brazil, saying you want to “be, experience, and film more and more” there. What draws you to Brazil as a filmmaker, and what do you hope to create there?
I’m drawn to Brazil for many reasons. Some of my closest friends are Brazilian, and I’ve traveled there and spent time there over the past few years. There’s an openness and spirituality in the Brazilian people that I connect with deeply. There’s an immense appreciation for the arts, for cinema, for creating something from your own point of view – a beautiful film tradition, so many talented people to work with, and a culture that is rich, dense, bold, and complex. As a surfer, I’m drawn to the landscapes and the coastline. It’s a place where I could see myself really spending a lot of time, perhaps as a second home, and I see this as an opportunity to be here more, explore all of that, and broaden my understanding and horizons.
You’re particularly interested in “how environments shape people and the stories they carry.” How do you embed a sense of place into your work? What role does environment play in your visual storytelling?
I’ve done quite a few projects where a person’s connection to the land is hugely intertwined with their identity. Lowland Kids takes place in South Louisiana with two teenagers who are the last generation on an island before it succumbs to the ocean. In A New Wave, you have Mikey February in South Africa, the son of a surfer who grew up during apartheid and wasn’t allowed on the beaches, and now his son is one of the most prominent surfers in the world. I’m fascinated by the layers and context around a specific person and their heritage. I love architecture, colors, music, the things that shape people. I love the noise of a city and the silence of a barren landscape. I love entering into worlds fully and wholeheartedly, exploring different languages and expressions. Curiosity is the reason I’m a filmmaker.
You’ve said there was an “immediate connection” and “mutual enchantment” with MyMama Entertainment. What made this partnership feel right?
Energetically, it just felt right when I met the partners and the rest of the team. A Brazilian friend put me on their radar, and I was expecting a casual meet and greet last time I was in São Paulo, but it turned into something more. There’s a real understanding and appreciation for auteurship at MyMama, and you can see that in their features division – the way they craft stories with real intention. As a European director entering this market, it’s important to immerse yourself, to give people time to meet you and get to know you, and I’m looking forward to that journey with MyMama. We’re already working together on a dance film in Brazil later this year that I can’t say too much about yet – a passion project, and I’m excited to see what this next chapter brings.
