One of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of the decade. Ten years in the making, Maya and the Wave tells the story of Maya Gabeira, the first woman to surf the giant wave in Nazaré, Portugal. She nearly drowns – and is ridiculed by the male big wave surfers who dominate the sport. Three spine surgeries and five years later, she surfs the biggest wave a woman has ever surfed. When her accomplishment is disregarded, Maya enlists the help of her fans to fight for recognition, and becomes the first female surfer honored with a Guinness World Record in big wave surfing.
Toronto International Film Festival: People’s Choice Award
DOCNYC: Opening Night Film
Sun Valley Film Festival: Best Documentary Feature
Nantucket Film Festival: Best of the Fest
The film more than succeeds in its primary goals of providing an inspirational role model plus lots of stupendous surfing footage, a combination that will enthrall most viewers. -Variety
What makes Maya such a compelling subject and Johnes’s portrait of her so different from films about male surf legends, is Gabeira’s willingness to admit her fear. -Rogerebert.com
Leaning heavily on a wealth of breathtaking slow-motion surf footage, Stephanie Johnes’s crowd-pleasing documentary tracks Gabeira’s triumph over industry sexism and a catastrophic wipeout that nearly cost her career and her life. Stirring stuff. -Observer
It’s all shown with a single goal, though: to capture Maya’s spirit, perseverance, and heroism. Because just as Burle got her excited about a sport that women weren’t supposed to pursue, she’s now inspiring young girls around the world. -Film Stage
A mix of fly-on-the-wall material with archive footage and interviews, Maya And The Wave is a by-turns exhilarating and infuriating exploration of how, for a woman, talent is often not enough to cut through. -Screen International
‘R’ 95min
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