Director / Cast: MAYA is directed by award-winning independent British filmmaker Julia Verdin, and stars actors Patricia Velasquez, Rumer Willis, Rena Owen, Gian Franco Rodriguez, Anthony Montgomery , Billy Budnich, Betzaida Landin and Isabella Feliciana as Maya. 

 

Genre: Social Impact Thriller

 

Logline: When a teenager seeking an escape from her alcoholic mother's abusive boyfriend is lured into a trafficking scheme, she must realize the difference between love and manipulation to return to those who truly care.

 

 

Synopsis: 15-year-old Maya is being raised in a household stricken by her father's abandonment. Her mom, Camila, is an alcoholic, struggling to make ends meet by cleaning houses and waitressing. Camilla's boyfriend, Diego, is an abuser who takes advantage of Camila, stealing her money and landing her in the hospital.

 

When Maya is followed on social media by an attractive, seemingly nice guy named Ray, she begins to chat with him about her chaotic life. Ray and Maya start meeting up in person, and he quickly becomes her confidant.

 

When Diego's abuse escalates at home and Camila refuses to see the truth, Ray encourages Maya to run away with him to Vegas. After initially being spoiled by Ray with new outfits, beauty treatments, and art supplies, Maya slowly begins to realize he has another agenda when he starts using her to make money. Ray persuades her to cooperate by holding everything he has done for her over her head and claiming that he loves her. Maya complies and starts being set up for appointments with Ray's "clients", being brought along to various hotels and motels with his other girl Kayla.

 

As Ray continues to pimp her out, Maya finds herself trapped in a sex trafficking ring with no way out. Meanwhile, her mother Camila, falls into despair after losing her daughter. After an overdose, she agrees to get sober in order to get her daughter back. When Camila gets a call from the police saying that Maya is in their custody, she is overjoyed. However, the trauma that Maya has been through does not make her return as easy as Camila had hoped. Ray is determined not to lose his money-making asset while Camila is intent on not losing her daughter ever again.    

 

Can Camila help Maya get back on her feet, or will Maya be forever lost to the dark world she has fallen prey to?