“To truly reach people, empathy is our greatest tool. That’s why, Lowland Kids has this strong narrative feel to it. You’re learning as the characters learn, you grow with them, root for them. It doesn’t lead with science or stats, it takes you into a life.”
Featuring at international film festivals, including Sheffield DocFest, Deauville American Film Festival, CPH:DOX and more, the award-winning Lowland Kids is Sandra Winther's first feature length film. Now set to premiere at IDFA in Amsterdam and DOC NYC this coming autumn, Sandra Winther reflects on how her connection to people, subcultures and the environment shapes her work. From the wetlands of Louisiana, to the coral reefs of Mo’Orea, nature has become a compass for her filmmaking. At the heart of Sandra’s work are two driving forces: a deep respect for the natural world and a commitment to telling human stories with honesty and grit.
DOC NYC screening dates: 15th, 16th November
IDFA Amsterdam screening dates: 17th, 18th, 19th November
Lowland Kids is an intimate portrait of America’s first climate refugees, told through a coming-of-age lens. It’s a story about home, memory, and the ache of growing up in a place that’s slipping away. Set on Isle de Jean Charles, the film captures the resilience of a tight-knit family facing the slow erosion of their land and the emotional weight that comes with it — especially for Howard and Juliette, teenage-siblings caught between what’s ending and what comes next.
Filmmaking is more important than ever; to raise awareness on the humanitarian crises developing on American coastlines and beyond.
Sandra originally connected with the community of Isle de Jean Charles back in 2019, creating a critically acclaimed short film of the same name. But the story never felt complete to Sandra. To really do it justice, she felt they had to return; and when they did, the landscape — politically and environmentally — felt vastly different. This time, they filmed through one of the worst hurricanes the community had seen in years, which ended up being the final straw to relocate. No longer in a position to rely on the government to navigate these issues, Sandra explains how this type of filmmaking is more important than ever; to raise awareness on the humanitarian crises developing on American coastlines and beyond.
What was it like to create your first feature length film?
Sandra: Making my first feature has been one of the most defining creative experiences of my life. I was lucky to have a team that supported me in making a different kind of documentary, with a narrative feel reminiscent of Boyhood, and a cinematic language that I hope frames the characters with a lot of care and empathy. But even with all that support, the process was still very hard – and one I grew a lot from, as a filmmaker and person.
Darren Aronofsky is an executive producer, and he’s been a great creative partner to have alongside his producer Brendan. My cinematographer Andrea Gavazzi, editor Eva Dubovoy, and composer Katya Mihailova each brought this unique artistry and sensibility to the film– and having Moby contribute some of his most iconic tracks added an additional layer. You can really feel those textures in the finished piece, and I’m proud of what we created together.
The film is now screening at festivals around the world, and I feel very grateful. From the beginning, I felt a deep responsibility to do the story justice and get it out there — to take six years of footage and shape it into something that would stay with people after they leave the cinema.
I first came across this story in 2017, and now 8 years later, it lives as a feature.
We spent a year and a half in the edit, going through countless iterations to find the strongest version of the film. That process taught me a lot about pacing, rhythm, and restraint. When you’re working on something that long, it really becomes a part of you in a way I can’t quite describe. And for me, this truly feels like a full-circle moment. I first came across this story in 2017, and now 8 years later, it lives as a feature.
What do you hope people take away from Lowland Kids? How do you see their story as a vehicle for change?
There’s a unique power in character-driven storytelling — especially when it comes to climate. I made a conscious choice to tell Lowland Kids through the eyes of the youth, aiming for something that would be an intimate and eye-level way into one of the biggest challenges our world is facing; the loss of communities due to climate change.
You’re learning as the characters learn, you grow with them, root for them. The film doesn’t lead with science or stats, it takes you into a life.
To reach people – especially those who aren’t already engaged – empathy is far more effective than information overload. That’s why, even though Lowland Kids is a documentary, there’s a strong narrative feel to it. You’re learning as the characters learn, you grow with them, root for them. The film doesn’t lead with science or stats, it takes you into a life. That approach invites people in, rather than pushing them away, I think.
We’ve partnered with Together Films for distribution and also for impact, and we plan to extend the film’s reach as an educational tool in schools across the U.S. and beyond. We’re also hosting screenings, events and Q&As — often with myself and climate activist Alice Aedy, one of the executive producers and co-founder of Earthrise.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have to protect – and preserve the memory of – a place.
I hope the film not only sparks climate action, but also empowers a new generation of filmmakers to tell stories rooted in the spaces that mean something to them.
People and characters play such a crucial role in your work. Do the Lowland Kids have much in common with the people in your other films? Have any particular stories stuck with you most?
Stories are everywhere, if you’re open, curious, and willing to step outside your bubble.
Howard and Juliette in Lowland Kids, Titouan of Coral Gardeners, free-surfer Mikey February – they all come from vastly different places, but there’s a throughline: a deep connection to where they’re from, to nature, to culture. For Titouan and the teenage siblings, their childhoods were shaped – and in many ways disrupted – by climate change. They’ve lived with its impact firsthand. How they respond to it may differ, but that lived experience, that resilience, is powerful to me.
It’s hard to choose a single story that sticks with me most, because they all do. But a story I’m obsessing over at the moment is a narrative feature I’m working on in Puerto Rico. I’ve met the most incredible people in the process and it’s very much a family affair – one that also follows a strong young character up against the forces of nature as is the case with many of my projects.
Coral Gardeners
Ocean On Fire
Your work has great compassion for the ocean and the relationship we have to the world beneath the water. How do you think this inspires you from a more personal and symbolic point of view?
There’s no hiding in the ocean, it sort of reflects back to you who you are, your fears, everything. That rawness and truth is something I’m always chasing in my films. And without sounding too cliché, I have surfing to thank for some of my closest friendships and for many of the adventures I treasure the most. It has also taken me directly into worlds I’ve then come to make films about.
Where do you want to go next?
After Lowland Kids, I feel ready for what’s next. Documentary has taught me how to stay open and let the story find you; in part by capturing moments that might seem small at the time but could hold deep meaning later. This practice of listening closely, staying curious, and connecting with people has shaped how I approach everything I do, and now I’m bringing that sensibility into fiction.
Listening closely, staying curious, and connecting with people has shaped how I approach everything I do.
The narrative feature I’m working on in Puerto Rico explores some of the same themes around identity, resilience, and climate, but through a fictional lens. I began writing the script years ago and since the characters have lived in my head for so long, it brings me joy to see everything come to life now. I’m also developing a short film in Ecuador based on an iconic surfer’s childhood in the early 2000s — a deeply moving story that I can’t wait to tell.
Commercially, I’ve directed some spots this year that I’m very excited about. One I shot with Rachel Morrison, and the other with Nico Aguilar and we created some striking images that I’m very proud of. I love the pace, the creative challenge, and the opportunity to push visual storytelling in new directions and I don’t think the world has really seen what I’m capable of yet… I guess that is sort of a motivator in a way. Knowing that there’s so much more I’m meant to do.
Behind the scenes on Lowland Kids.
