MADRE's Faride Schroeder Directs Films for Mount Sinai Highlighting Women’s Health

Mount Sinai Healthcare System has tapped director Faride Schroeder of MADRE to bring their latest campaign to life. In “We Find A Way,” Mount Sinai targets the chief medical officer in every family, whose care often goes overlooked: the maternal figures.

By addressing women’s most significant health problems through concise, naturalistic films and nuanced performances, Faride has brought an indelible heart to this vital message from Mount Sinai. In a few gestures in blocking and camera movement, the films ring out as truthful, deeply meaningful, and very human. Brief action denoting a larger metaphor with profound emotional execution by the films’ actors underscores the emotional truth that these familial pillars often have to keep their emotions under wraps to protect those around them. With the help of Mount Sinai, this burden is lessened.

“Heart and “Cancer” find their visual home with the well-worn locations of a family home and neighbourhood garden shop, respectively, and are awash in beautiful, natural light. In “Heart,” a mother sees her son off to his first day of high school. We can see the moment of micro-grief this woman is experiencing when the door shuts, an image aptly paired with the message from Mount Sinai, “Advancing women’s heart care, because your heart has enough to deal with.” In “Cancer,” a woman on the phone with her doctor is seen processing something complex and vexing, then spotting a wind ornament out of the corner of her eye and gently stopping it from spinning with her hand.

“This message is very important to me,” said Faride. “The health of women is impacted by the social demand to be the primary caregivers. It seems that in order to provide care, one must forgo being cared for. Juggling the responsibilities of caring for everybody else in the family leaves women simply lacking the time or emotional space to prioritise their own well-being. There’s a lot of invisible labour behind motherhood and caregiving, and the social expectations of keeping up that stoic facade in the name of being the emotional rock of the family can affect women's health. It is essential to communicate to women that they deserve to be cared for, too, and that they are not alone. They can count on a steadfast ally who sees them and takes care of them when they are the ones going through a health crisis. I wanted to communicate that with these spots and connect that idea to Mount Sinai by visually cuing the brand’s presence with accents of magenta and cyan every time it felt natural through the storytelling.”