Photo by Maxi Schmitz

Swiss Director Maria Sigrist and the ‘Spirited Heroine Endeavor’

Photo of Maria Sigrist by Maxi Schmitz

Maria Sigrist collaborates with filmmakers across the globe to create films with inspiring female lead characters. Her aim is to encourage women to take responsibility and to participate in shaping the world.

Swiss Director Maria Sigrist uses the power of the emotive cinematic medium to unravel the deep hidden second layer of female emancipation.

What is the Spirited Heroine Film Endeavor?

Maria Sigrist: My endeavor is to tell stories about strong female heroines with a positive impact on their surroundings. Online I was seeking a screenplay with a ‘Spirited Heroine’. This journey of collaborations has resulted in two feature films and a short film in pre-production, with many more projects in the pipeline.

What inspired the Spirited Heroine Endeavor?

Maria Sigrist: Different things happened in my life and I was motivated to think about what it means to be a woman in this society.  I discovered that we carry the history of our gender in our genes. A history of repression and suppression. Therefore, I became sensitive to my perception of films and how women are portrayed. Film is an emotional medium and has the power to speak directly to our subconscious – it can influence society in their perception of the female gender and how women perceive themselves.

What do you consider a Spirited Heroine? 

Maria Sigrist: A Spirited Heroine listens, speaks and acts according to her heart. She takes responsibility for the situation she is in. Even though her journey is tumultuous and filled with challenges, she fights, wins, heals and moves on.

What films have you seen that star a spirited heroine? 

Maria Sigrist: Strangely we find the Spirited Heroine mostly in biopics and not in narrative films with fictional characters. This phenomenon echoes with my feelings that there are many more Spirited Heroines in real life than in films. Hidden Figures and Erin Brockovich are good examples of Spirited Heroine films.

Akira Golz and Talya Louis, stars of ‘The Crime’.

What are your upcoming projects? 

Maria Sigrist: Currently, I am immersed in the pre-production for The Crime, a short film set in an imminent future after Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Two young women are committing a crime: They are going to an illegal back-alley abortion. I will shoot it in black and white with elements from film noir.

You can follow our project on Instagram.

www.instagram.com/thecrimemovie

Maria Sigrist:  Then I have the bad-ass female-driven martial arts film The Arena at an early stage of pre-production. Amazingly today I received sample compositions from the legendary film composer Paul Herzog (Bloodsport and Kickboxer) who will make his comeback with the music score for this film.

Here is the RipReel for The Arena (edited from several sources).

Maria Sigrist: I’m also preparing to do another shooting of a very touching drama about a terminally ill teenager and her friendship to a new neighborhood girl – Ladybugs and Other Fears. My other projects are in the development stage. I am working on a Biopic about the incredible mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya. Filmmaker Satindar Singh Bedi and I are developing a script about a brave Indian woman who re-writes the Kamasutra from the female perspective. I have a bunch of other amazing scripts in the pipeline, all starring ‘Spirited Heroines’.

* I met Maria when I responded to an ad in ISA for a ‘Spirited Heroine Script’, sending her my script ‘The Crime’. Pamela Perry

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