One of our biggest source of inspiration are strong women. Strong women, who follow their dreams and work hard for their goals. These women can be found in all different parts of life and earth and one of them is Annika von Schütz.

Annika has been a MYMARINI fan for a long time now, wearing her MYMARINIs for surfing and during her ocean centric lifestyle in Portugal. Falling in love with surfing, Annika already created an award-winning surf documentary and now, for her new movie, interviewed five women from different backgrounds about their unique ways into surfing. Producing a movie is a long way and comes with many obstacles but Annika follows her dreams.

Read the interview with Annika and dive into her life as a surfer and filmmaker.

Who are you? Please introduce yourself to the MYMARINI community.

I´m Annika from Germany, living on the southwest coast of Portugal. Orginially, I came here for the shooting of my surf documentary. Since I fell in love with the country many years ago, I decided to stay here and live in a beautiful beach house now, working in Alentejo, Lisbon and Ericeira.

I have a Master in Arts and Media and my passion is documentary film. Extreme sports make me feel alive and live in the present moment, I love surfing for that.

How did you get to know MYMARINI?

I got to know the founders of MYMARINI in Alentejo on their trip through Portugal. A common friend introduced us to each other and I liked their philosophy from the first moment. Especially, because they let normal women show their bikinis, not just super models. It is easier to identify with them and inspires women to be happy in their own skin instead of achieving a perfect body

You are a yoga teacher and film maker. What made you choose your career and life path?

The world of art and culture means home to me. It gives me the opportunity to express myself and see and experience the world. There are so many interesting stories to tell and share messages. I think film is an amazing media that generates new thoughts and important discussions.

Yoga has always been my way of identification. Every day starts with some yoga flows and meditation to maintain a healthy body and mind and be prepared for the day, especially the waves.

What is your movie “Femme Ocean” about and what made you start the project?

Femme Ocean is a documentary about women in surfing, where women from all backgrounds are invited to share their experiences and to discuss the power of sports impacting their lives.

The documentary is about strong female portraits as role models. Together with an international professional crew, we created impactful stories of women following their passion of surfing and creating new paths for the next generation.

You are a surfer as well. What does surfing and the ocean mean to you?

Surfing means the connection with nature and myself to me. I need to taste the salt and feel my body in the water. By paddling out, I have to adapt every day to new conditions and practice awareness, focus on the waves and the gratitude of living in the moment. It also connects me in a very beautiful way with my friends. However, surfing showed me also the dangerous part of it.

I had some tough situations in the ocean, followed by traumas. The ocean nearly took my life. Now it’s giving me life. Freediving, surfing and meditation are helping me to transform the fear and enjoy being in the water again.

Femme Ocean is exclusively presented at different film festivals. Hop over to the website for more information!