An award-winning documentary that tells the story of the first woman to surf the giant wave in Nazaré, Portugal, will be screened in Vernon later this month.
Maya and the Wave is a film about Maya Gabeira, who struggles to be taken seriously in the male-dominated sport of surfing. She suffers a serious wipeout in Nazaré and nearly drowns. Three spine surgeries and five years later, she surfs the biggest wave a woman has ever surfed, but her accomplishment is disregarded.
That disregard only spurs her on to enlist the help of her fans to fight for recognition. She eventually becomes the first female surfer honoured with a Guinness World Record in big wave surfing.
Throughout the film Gabeira is not only fighting massive waves, but also the chauvinism inherent to the sport which seeks to discredit her accomplishments.
Directed and produced by Stephanie Johnes and released in 2024, Maya and the Wave has received many accolades, including the people's choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival, best documentary feature at the Sun Valley Film Festival, and Best of the Fest at the Nantucket Film Festival.
Vernon musician Orion Miller is heavily involved in the surf scene in Montreal where his band, OM Sound, was based for the last decade. He began speaking with Johnes online when he heard about Maya and the Wave winning awards in major film festivals.
When Miller moved back to his hometown of Vernon last fall, Johnes told him she was starting to book screenings worldwide, and he happily agreed to volunteer as the coordinator to bring the film to Vernon.
"The surf community is quite tight knit despite its large size, and even moreso on the creative side of things. Since I'm also involved in the artistic sphere of surfing through my own videography, vlogs and travel with @OrionSurfs, connecting with artists like Steph happens naturally," Miller told The Morning Star. "With the lakes in Vernon and the overall outdoorsy mentality, I'm certain that people here will love this inspiring film. Even if you don't surf or do extreme sports at all, it's a fascinating story worth seeing."
The one-night-only screening will take place at the Vernon Cineplex May 26 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online. People are encouraged to buy tickets before May 13 to help guarantee the showing.
