An award-winning new German film takes an unexpected look at the problem of far-right extremism, following the fictional story of a young woman lost in a world of violence and hatred. The film, which has parallels to a recent neo-Nazi case in Germany, also serves as a wake-up call for some -- women are more prevalent in the radical scene than many believe.

This January, as Germany was still debating the aftermath of a recently uncovered murderous neo-Nazi terror cell, a timely new film was released about the country's far-right scene. It featured an unlikely protagonist -- a woman neo-Nazi.

Although not based on the story of Beate Zschape, who was arrested last year as the sole surviving suspected member of the neo-Nazi terror cell, "Kriegerin," which translates loosely as "female fighter" and is on wide release here, still has many parallels. Zschape and two male members of the underground neo-Nazi group are believed to have murdered at least 10 people, including small business owners of foreign origin and a policewoman, over the course of a decade.

Zschäpe's apparent role in the group -- and the fact that she is a woman -- has fascinated Germans. But it came as no shock to the new film's screenwriter and director, who spent two years researching women in the neo-Nazi scene in Germany for the film.

"I was totally surprised and shocked that for so long they weren't caught," director David Wnendt told Spiegel Online. "But I wasn't surprised that such a terror cell existed. In my research I saw that many in the scene were armed and prepared to use violence. It's a big leap to venture into killing people, but when one considers how many people are in this scene it's reasonable to assume that the possibility would arise."