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Maya Gabeira’s story develops like a wave cresting and crashing—the kind of story that makes you question not just the limitations of athleticism but the entire fabric of society’s expectations. Her father, Fernando Gabeira, was a revolutionary figure in Brazil who lived his life in defiance of authoritarian regimes. This ancestry hung huge over Maya, imbuing her with a passionate sense of purpose that rivaled the waves she would eventually conquer. I reflect on how our backgrounds shape us, often in ways we only notice in retrospect.

Her debut in surfing at thirteen was more about discovery than rebellion—a search for identity amid puberty. Amazingly, a sport so inextricably linked to nature can become a canvas for personal expression and ambition. In just a few years, she went from a curious youngster with a surfboard to a world champion, earning accolades and sponsorships that would make any athlete jealous.

Documentary about Maya Gabeira’s record-breaking feats almost accidentally tells a story too about the endemic sexism in sport

This film is ostensibly about Maya Gabeira, a Brazilian competitive big-wave surfer (ie towed on special boards into waves of 20ft and over), and her struggle to compete again after a devastating injury in 2013. And yes, it certainly is about her, but it’s almost as if everyone involved – Gabeira, people who were supposedly her closest associates, and even the director Stephanie Johnes – aren’t quite conscious of the fact that they’re also making a documentary about endemic sexism in sport. You can almost see awareness of that latter theme coming to mind in the last half of the film, when Maya goes to battle with the organisation that’s meant to champion athletes in her field but which seemingly closes ranks against her lest her achievement makes that of...

NewportFILM Outdoors, a unique screening series that is held on the lawns and grounds of the mansions and parks that make Newport, R.I., a tourist destination, has unveiled its summer season slate of programming.

The series, which highlights notable documentaries, will kick off next week with Jeff Zimbalist’s “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” one of the breakouts of this year’s Sundance. Netflix swooped in and bought the film in one of the festival’s biggest deals — it tells the story of two daredevils’ attempt to climb a super skyscraper. Other films that will screen throughout the summer include movies about cultural or sports figures such as Elizabeth Taylor (“Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” from HBO), Joan Baez (“Joan Baez: I Am Noise” from Magnolia Pictures), horse trainer Monty Roberts (“The Cowboy and the Queen” from Greenwich Entertainment) and big wave surfer Maya Gabeira (“Maya and the Wave”). In addition,...

Though the field of women’s athletics has evolved and expanded considerably in recent years, it still seems well-nigh impossible for even the most elite competitors to get more than a tiny fraction of the recognition routinely accorded star sportsmen. That equation certainly seems borne out in “Maya and the Wave,” Stephanie Johnes’ portrait of leading female big wave surfer Maya Gabeira. This festival favorite (which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival before kicking off Doc NYC) has some gaps in storytelling and contextualization that leave it feeling like a less-than-complete picture of the protagonist’s career to date. Yet 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.

It opens with majestic waves nearly 100 feet high breaking off resort town Nazare on Portugal’s western coast. In addition to being her current home,...

In a world where major animation releases start to look very similar with their Pixar-esque visuals, projects like “My Father’s Dragon” really do stand out.

Read More: ‘Maya And The Wave’ Review: An Uplifting Sports Doc About Maya Gabeira’s Quest To Surf One Of The World’s Biggest Waves

As seen in the trailer for “My Father’s Dragon,” the Netflix animated feature has stunning visuals and a unique style as it tells the story of a young boy and the dragon he befriends.

Continue reading ‘My Father’s Dragon’ Trailer: The New Animated Film From Oscar-Nominated Director Nora Twomey Arrives In November at The Playlist.

Tracking Maya Gabeira’s quest to surf one of the world’s biggest waves in Nazaré, Portugal, Stephanie Johnes’ documentary “Maya and the Wave” splits its time between standard-issue documentary about Gabeira’s rise in the community and insightful critique of how institutionalized misogyny in the surfing world has tried to diminish Gabeira’s contributions to the sport. Featuring some incredible visuals, and using Gabeira to tell her own story, it’s an entertaining and informative exploration of the professional surfing community

The enormous waves in Nazaré act as both a framing device within the story and Gabeira’s white whale.

Continue reading ‘Maya And The Wave’ Review: An Uplifting Sports Doc About Maya Gabeira’s Quest To Surf One Of The World’s Biggest Waves at The Playlist.

At twenty-six years of age, Brazilian Maya Gabeira was at the top of her sport. A world champion. Winner of countless awards. On covers of magazines. And repped by Red Bull. Looking to progress her career from becoming a pioneer for women in the big wave surfing game to holding a World Record that stood next to the men in control of the sport, she and mentor Carlos Burle traveled to Nazaré, Portugal to accomplish the unthinkable. Everything came apart instead. Not only did she wipe out and almost die after two failed attempts at recovery left her unconscious and floating in the water, but Maya was ruthlessly dismissed by everyone in the industry as inexperienced, reckless, and a destructive force for surfing itself. She was all but abandoned.

What begins like a feel-good tale of one woman’s quest to be the best, Stephanie Johnes’ Maya and the Wave...

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Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Andor, Blonde, Do Revenge and Silent Twins.

Blonde Los Angeles premiere

Following Blonde‘s Venice debut, Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody and director Andrew Dominik brought their Netflix film to Los Angeles on Tuesday, premiering at the Tcl Chinese Theatre.

From left: Andrew Dominik, Ana de Armas and Adrien Brody From left: Ted Sarandos, Ana de Armas and Scott Stuber

Silent Twins special screening

Director Agnieszka Smoczyńska and star Letitia Wright attended a special New York City screening for their film Silent Twins on Tuesday at Metrograph.

From left: Kiska Higgs, Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska, Letitia Wright, Agnieszka Smoczynska and Ben Pugh Danai Gurira (left) and Letitia Wright

Do Revenge special screening

Stars Maya Hawke, Camila Mendes, Sophie Turner and Sarah Michelle Gellar...

On Tuesday, September 13, distinguished business, philanthropic, and cultural leaders gathered at Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room for Oceana's annual New York Gala to celebrate and support the organization’s mission to restore the health and abundance of the world’s oceans.

The event raised over 1.6 million in support of Oceana’s global campaigns and featured an esteemed group of speakers and attendees, including Oceana Board Member and master of ceremonies Ted Danson, gala chairs Susan Rockefeller and David Rockefeller, Oceana Board Chair Sam Waterston, Big Wave Surfer and Oceana Board Member Maya Gabeira, among others. Over the past nine years, Oceana’s New York Gala has raised more than 13 million to help deliver policy victories for our oceans.

This year’s event, which returned Blancpain as Presenting Partner, celebrated a “wave of victories” for our oceans. “In just over 20 years, Oceana has won more than 225 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction,...

The Toronto Intl. Film Festival’s Docs program gets underway Sept. 8 and will feature 22 nonfiction films — a hefty 57 increase from last year’s lineup, which was cut back to 14 due to Covid.

Notable titles include Oscar winner Laura Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” which is pictured above and making its Canadian premiere following a world premiere at the Venice Film Festival; “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s latest docu “The Grab” and veteran filmmaker’s Werner Herzog’s “Theatre of Thought.”

Sacha Jenkins’s “Armstrong’s Black & Blues” will serve as TIFF Docs’ opening film.

Thom Powers, lead TIFF documentary programmer, winnowed the list of 22 from 700 submissions. While constructing this year’s program, Powers noticed various themes emerge across submissions, one being being the act of resistance.

“Cowperthwaite’s “The Grab,” which she has been making for seven years under a lot of secrecy, follows journalist Nathan Halverson as...

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton now have double the reason to head to the Toronto International Film Festival next month. TIFF unveiled its documentary lineup today, which includes the world premiere of In Her Hands, a film executive produced by the Clintons through their banner Hidden Light.

The fest also unveiled its Contemporary World Cinema slate; see the full lineups below.

Hillary and Chelsea were previously announced as attending the festival in support of Gutsy, their upcoming Apple TV+ documentary series that “features intimate conversations with trailblazing women including Kim Kardashian, Meghan Thee Stallion, Jane Goodall, Gloria Steinem, Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson and many more.”

In Her Hands, directed by Tamana Ayazi and Oscar nominee Marcel Mettelsiefen, focuses on another gutsy woman—Afghan politician Zarifa Ghafari—who became, at the age of 26, the youngest woman to serve as a mayor of an Afghan city.