SHE IN STORMS follows Austria’s first female big wave surfer Christina Gindi as injury forces her out of the ocean and into a reality that strips away rhythm and certainty. Cut off from what once defined her, Christina is left in a space where instinct, identity, and endurance are tested through a quiet process of resistance and becoming.
From the giant waves of Nazaré to the stillness beyond them, SHE IN STORMS is a portrait of women in extreme sport and what remains when identity is stripped back to its core.
We had a chat with Christina as she embarks on an European tour with her new film.
Christina, describe your journey to surfing Nazaré.
I’ve always felt a natural pull towards surfing bigger, more powerful waves, so somehow, surfing Nazaré someday always felt aligned in my mind. I genuinely love surfing big waves. For me, it’s one of the rawest places where I feel completely present. There is nothing else. It’s an incredible feeling, and that excitement is what keeps drawing me back. But this journey has also been about becoming the kind of person who is capable of meeting those waves.
My path wasn’t typical or linear. I grew up in Austria, surrounded by mountains, in a country without a coastline. Over time, I immersed myself in every aspect of the ocean through surfing, freediving, breath-hold training, first aid and rescue skills. And Freediving, which has been a part of my life for some years now and truly saved me mentally during this difficult time of injury.
All of those experiences, step by step, made it possible to arrive where I am today. Nazaré isn’t a place you simply turn up to. It takes years of patience, consistency, humility, and respect.
How did the film come about, and how proud are you of it now that it’s finished?
At first, I thought the story would simply become one about returning to the ocean. But I realised the injury itself wasn’t really the story. The real story was everything that came with it. The uncertainty. The frustration. Losing something that shaped my identity. Sitting with questions that had no immediate answers. We all go through periods like that in life. Injury, loss, burnout, grief, change. Different storms, but feelings that are deeply familiar.
That’s when I decided I wanted to stop making a surf film and start making a film about what those moments actually mean. I’m incredibly proud that SHE IN STORMS doesn’t try to hide them. It allows them to exist exactly as they were.
How important is it to share your story with the surfing community?
The film isn’t quite about sharing my story. It’s about sharing the reality behind it. During my own recovery, I found so much strength in watching documentaries about athletes who had faced their own storms. Seeing how they navigated uncertainty reminded me that difficult seasons don’t define us.
If SHE IN STORMS can give even one person that same feeling, whether they’re a surfer or not, then everything we put into making it was worth it. I hope it encourages people to embrace the parts of life we usually don’t talk about.
And so far, the messages I have been receiving, simply from the trailer, have been incredible. I am so thankful to everyone in my community for sharing their thoughts, their own path, and their own storms with me!
What would you like to say to other women who are on a similar path?
Strength isn’t usually loud.
More often, it’s choosing to keep going quietly, even when nobody sees it. There will always be opinions about what you should do or who you should be. The harder part is learning to hear your own voice through all of that. Your path won’t look like anyone else’s, and that’s the best thing. Trust your pace, trust your instincts, and don’t be afraid of the moments that make you question everything. They often change you in the most meaningful ways.
How stoked are you to be on tour with the film this summer?
It’s incredibly special to see the first festival selections and screenings coming in after spending two years making this film.
What excites me most is what happens after those screenings. I believe Film has a unique way of bringing people together. The conversations after a screening, hearing someone say, “I’ve felt that too,” or sharing their own story, are my favourite part of the whole process, which is why I will try to be present at screenings as much as I can.
Although the film is set against that legendary backdrop of Nazaré and big wave surfing, it’s really about something much more universal. We all experience storms in our lives. If SHE IN STORMS helps people feel a little less alone in theirs, then that’s the best outcome I could hope for.
The film will be touring festivals and cinemas throughout 2026.
I’ll be sharing all upcoming screenings and tour dates here.
