A chance encounter in Athens pulls two women into a whirlwind affair in Maya & Samar, a lesbian romance heading to U.S. audiences this fall.
According to Deadline, Quiver will release the film on video-on-demand platforms nationwide Sept. 4, following its Canadian theatrical run earlier this year.
The story follows Maya, a Canadian journalist, and Samar, a queer Afghan refugee whose lives unexpectedly collide in Athens. Despite their different backgrounds and experiences, the two are quickly drawn to one another. Over several transformative days, that attraction develops into a passionate affair that challenges their understanding of intimacy, identity, and connection.
Nicolette Pearse and Amanda Babaei Vieira star as Maya and Samar, bringing the film’s emotionally and sexually charged relationship to life. Vieira is also a recipient of Germany’s prestigious Ulrich Wildgruber Prize. Anita Doron, who co-wrote the Oscar-nominated animated film The Breadwinner, directs from a screenplay by author and filmmaker Tamara Faith Berger.
Maya & Samar premiered at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival before arriving in Canadian theaters in March.
The NC-17 Rating Controversy
The film drew attention last year when the Motion Picture Association handed it an NC-17 rating. The classification is more restrictive than an R rating and can create major obstacles for a film’s theatrical release, advertising and overall reach. Doron called the decision “shocking” and argued that movies featuring similar intimacy between heterosexual characters regularly avoid such a restrictive classification.
Her criticism raised broader questions about the standards applied to queer sex and romance onscreen.
“I hope Maya & Samar reaches into the wildest parts of your heart and connects you across time, place, culture, and identity into a humanist oneness,” she said. “I hope our film deranges you, like a cinematic tarot card, letting you feel.”
Producer Laura Lanktree hopes the movie will keep audiences talking after its provocative conclusion.
“I hope the conversation that Maya & Samar sparked inside festivals and outside theatres continues at the dinner table of its new audience,” Lanktree said. “The potency of their emotional and sexual affair, as well as its stunning end, provoke much debate.”
Robert Lantos, Lanktree and Julia Rosenberg produced the film. Nikolas Alavanos is a co-producer, Steve Solomos serves as supervising producer and Anant Singh is an executive producer.
Maya & Samar arrives on U.S. VOD platforms Sept. 4.