DANUTA CIRCLE
SANDRA WINTHER
The Copenhagen-born director Sandra Winther has an adventurer’s spirit, at once fearless and sensitively in tune with the environment. She first came to New York as an exchange student, studying film for a semester at Columbia University. She then set down roots in the city, working with independent directors while plotting her own way forward. “I was often in an office or studio craving going out into the world, working with real stories, getting under the belly of things, being immersed in other cultures besides my own,” Winther says. One early project—a docuseries in collaboration with i-D and New Balance—centered on subcultures of sport in Tokyo, London, and New York. It set the tone for a career that continues to braid together her interests in storytelling and movement and nature, as seen in the New York Times Op-Doc “A New Wave,” about the South African surfer Mikey February, and her debut documentary feature Lowland Kids, which follows two Louisiana teenagers and their uncle on their slowly sinking island. Now balancing the international festival circuit with work on her first narrative feature, she is carving out time for stillness at home and future surf trips. “I feel the most connected to myself when I’m in the ocean,” says Winther, whose recent trips to Brazil, Ecuador, and Tahiti have taken her far from her native Denmark. “When we’re born, we're not destined to stay there or be what our parents or friends imagined we would be. In a way, there really are no limits to where we can go.”
What projects are you currently working on?
In addition to commercials, I’m working on three films: a coming-of-age feature set in Puerto Rico, a climate documentary in South Louisiana, and a surf story I just started developing in Ecuador.
How did your birthplace influence who you’ve become?
I grew up in a small town outside of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was peaceful, and I spent most of my time outdoors or doing sports. Even now, living in New York, I think I carry that sense of calm, groundedness, and love for the outdoors with me.
When do you feel most beautiful?
When I’m in the sun, wearing little clothes and no makeup. When I dance.
In your approach to wellness, what are you leaning away from or toward?
I don’t follow a strict routine—I very much go with the flow. I’ll have phases of working too much where I’m not being active, and then I’ll have phases where I’m surfing six hours a day. I just make sure the pendulum always swings back. That’s what keeps me in balance.
What is your favorite place to spend time in nature?
Puerto Rico and Brazil are high on that list—the nature is stunning and the waves are incredible. But honestly, as long as I’m in the ocean, I’m happy. And that can be anywhere.
What is your sun sign (moon and rising too, if you want to share), and is there a characteristic of it that resonates with you?
I’m Sagittarius sun, Leo moon, Capricorn rising. A mix of fire and earth, which I think is pretty spot on. I crave freedom and movement, but also feel a deep sense of responsibility to deliver on what I put my mind to.
What book has left an impression on you?
Right now I’m reading Motherless Daughters as research for a project about grief. It’s beautifully written—delicate and honest. It has stayed with me.
Do you have a favorite artwork that reflects the world of nature?
In my kitchen I have a photograph by Lúa Ribeira that shows a woman with her eyes closed in a field of anemone flowers. There’s something so still yet wild about it. I love seeing that photograph every morning.
What do you collect, and why does it delight you?
I collect objects when I travel and designate a spot for them on my bookshelf. It makes me happy to remember places and people through these objects and their energy.
What scent from the natural world are you drawn to?
Ylang-ylang. The scent always makes me feel at home, even if I can’t quite explain why.
