Maya & Samar

Maya & Samar
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anita Doron
Written by	Tamara Faith Berger
Produced by	Robert Lantos Julia Rosenberg Laura Lanktree
Starring	Nicolette Pearse Amanda Babaei Vieira Breanna Coates Antonis Giannakos Aris Athanasopoulos
Cinematography	Christina Moumouri
Edited by	Mikaela Bodin
Music by	Katie Stelmanis
Production companies	Serendipity Point Films January Media Filmiki Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center Telefilm Canada Ontario Creates CBC Films Crave VVS Films Distant Horizon
Distributed by	VVS Films
Release dates	November 4, 2025 (2025-11-04) (Thessaloniki) March 20, 2026 (2026-03-20) (Canada)
Running time	95 minutes
Countries	Canada Greece
Language	English

Maya & Samar is a 2025 romantic drama film directed by Anita Doron, with the script being written by Tamara Faith Berger. A Canadian-Greek co-production, the film, set in Athens, follows Maya and Samar, who, after meeting, have an affair that causes things to spiral out of control, exposing their cultures.

The film premiered at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival on November 4, 2025, and was released in Canada on March 20, 2026.

Synopsis

After Maya, a journalist at an indie website, and Samar, a queer Afghan who arrived in Greece after escaping from the Taliban, meet together, their life spirals out of control which exposes their cultures.

Cast

• Nicolette Pearse
• Amanda Babaei Vieira
• Breanna Coates
• Antonis Giannakos
• Aris Athanasopoulos as Alex

Production

Anita Doron directed the romantic drama film, with Tamara Faith Berger writing the script. It is a Canadian-Greek co-production. Principal photography began in Athens and Toronto in September 2024, and wrapped the next month, with Christina Moumouri serving as the cinematographer. Robert Lantos produced the film under his Serendipity Point Films production company, and Julia Rosenberg under her January Media production company. Laura Lanktree, Steve Solomos, and Nikolas Alavanos co-produced the film, with the latter producing under his Filmiki production company. Anant Singh served as an executive producer under his Distant Horizon production company. Harry Grivakis, Ernie Grivakis, Javi Hernandez, and Claire Peace-McConnell served as co-executive producers under the VVS Films banner. Konstantinos Skourletis designed the costumes for the film. Katie Stelmanis composed the score for the film. Mikaela Bodin edited the film. The film was produced in association with Telefilm Canada, Greek Film Centre, Distant Horizon, Bell Media, CBC, Ontario Creates, and the Harold Greenberg Fund, with the support of EKOME.

Release

Distribution

VVS Films distributed the film in Canada, while Distant Horizon handled the international sales.

MPA rating

The film was rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association for "sexual content/graphic nudity", and was featured on the 7/16/2025 MPA/CARA rating bulletin. The director of the film disagreed with the decision from the MPA to give the film an NC-17, despite the film being a love story.

Premiere

The film premiered at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival on November 4, 2025. The film was released in Canada on March 20, 2026.

External links

• Maya & Samar at IMDb