A special interview with Maya and the Wave
In this special interview with FEMINIST, Maya and the Wave director, Stephanie Johnes shares what drew her to Maya’s story, her favorite behind-the-scenes moment, and the ongoing sexism faced by women athletes.
Ten years in the making, Maya and the Wave tells the story of Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira, the first woman to surf the giant wave in Nazaré, Portugal. She nearly drowns – and is ridiculed by the male big wave surfers who dominate the sport. Three spine surgeries and five years later, she surfs the biggest wave a woman has ever surfed. When her accomplishment is disregarded, Maya enlists the help of her fans to fight for recognition and becomes the first female surfer honored with a Guinness World Record in big wave surfing.
What does being a feminist mean to you?
Feminism is the never-ending effort to acknowledge and attempt to correct the problem that women are systematically undermined in society. I think “International Women's Day” really says it all - in the wrong way- I mean, really? Just one day to celebrate 50% of the global population - it’s absurd. We have come a long way, but there is still so far to go.
Maya and the Wave follows Maya Gabeira on her journey as a surfer, developing her career in a male-dominated sport. What inspired you to make this film about Maya’s story?
I didn’t consciously set out to make a feminist film, and it was simple curiosity that led me to Maya. I wondered, what was it like for this young woman to participate in a sport that is so thoroughly dominated by men? How does she manage to survive not only the giant waves, but also the overwhelmingly masculine environment? I think I was looking to her to find some answers for myself about how to survive in the world.When I was six years old I wrote, "When I grow up I will write books." So it has been an organic part of my self-understanding for the entirety of my life. Where that comes from is probably a combination of neurology and influence. In my generation- I was born in 1958- The Diary of Anne Frank and Harriet The Spy showed girls that we could become writers, and many had diaries, or like Harriet carried around notebooks.
Can you tell us about your favorite behind-the-scenes moment while working on the documentary?
One favorite behind the scenes moment was when Maya rescued her surfing partner. He was nearly unconscious in 40 foot seas, and she wrapped her arm around his neck and swam him to shore like a lifeguard, with incredible strength and skill. Years earlier, when Maya had an accident and needed to be rescued, her surfing peers cried that she shouldn’t be in the ocean, and painted her as an incapable damsel in distress, and her rescuer as a hero. Yet when Maya rescued a man - nobody said a word!
Through the duration of the film, Maya faces a lot of sexism from her male peers. Based on your observations, how does this type of environment impact women athletes?
I think the sexism that Maya faced was emotionally devastating, but also a source of motivation. She wanted to prove those sexist naysayers wrong, and made sure that she did.
What do you hope viewers will take away from watching the film?
Maya and the Wave is a film about achieving the impossible, against all odds, not once but again and again. It is a story of death and re birth, the will to live and to dream. I hope that viewers will feel seen, as they face their own struggles, and inspired to pursue their own dreams.
Why do you think surfing has historically been such a male-dominated space? How can it be made more inclusive?
Surfing is such a male-dominated sport because men and women share the same ocean. It’s not a sport where there’s a separate court or field for men and women. In surfing, most of the time men and women are competing directly against each other for the same waves, and men tend to be very aggressive in order to get the waves that they want. The media hasn’t helped, either- with a tendency to portray male surfers in action and female surfers in bikinis. I think surfing can be made more inclusive by properly acknowledging women's accomplishments in the sport. This encourages more women to see what's possible and to enter the water.
How has working on Maya and the Wave impacted the way you see the world?
Working on Maya and the Wave helped me to see that gender bias can be obvious and outright, but also subtle and hard to put your finger on. When Maya's world record was ignored, it was hard to understand what was going on. Was this gender bias? In hindsight, of course - yes, it was. Working on Maya and the Wave help me to realize that gender bias can take on many shapes and forms, but it is just one of many obstacles in life that can be overcome.
Join us from anywhere in the world for the online premiere of Maya and the Wave this Saturday, June 7th
— followed by a live Q&A with Maya, director Stephanie Johnes, and executive producer Rashida Jones.
