Exploring Female Desire and Agency in the Canadian-Greek Film Maya & Samar

Maya & Samar is a Canadian-Greek drama exploring female sexuality, freedom, and agency. The story follows Maya, a free-spirited journalist from Toronto, who encounters Samar, an Afghan Muslim undocumented refugee, in Athens. Their week-long affair highlights personal empowerment, consent, and the expression of desire, portraying sexuality from a female perspective. The film’s raw depiction of intimacy, including a scene of heterosexual oral sex, earned it an NC-17 rating, a reflection of ongoing cultural taboos around women’s pleasure. Directed by Canadian-Hungarian filmmaker Anita Doron, known for adapting The Breadwinner, the production emphasises collaboration and consent, with lead actors co-creating their intimate scenes and using an intimacy coordinator. The narrative challenges traditional white saviour tropes, showing that Samar is fully autonomous, making her own choices and telling her story on her terms. Shot in Athens and Hamilton over 16 days for under $4 million, the film features a predominantly female creative team, including screenwriter Tamara Faith Berger and cinematographer Christina Moumouri. Doron and producer Laura Lanktree highlight the existence of queer, underground communities in Afghanistan and Iran, where music, dance, and sexuality persist despite societal restrictions. The film premiered at the Thessaloniki Film Festival and is celebrated for portraying desire, pleasure, and agency as vital expressions of freedom.