Sama in the Forest, Carlos G. Gómez (dir.) (2023), India: Documentary Educational Resources (DER).

The article reviews the documentary film *Sama in the Forest* (2023), directed by Carlos G. Gómez and produced in collaboration with researchers Coralynn V. Davis and M. S. Suman, which explores the cultural and mythological heritage of Madhubani, the cultural center of Mithila in northern India and Nepal. The film centers on the Sama Chekhava festival, a midnight celebration honoring the mythical figure Sama, whose story challenges traditional patriarchal norms by depicting her liberation from social restrictions. Employing oral storytelling traditions and multiple narrators, the documentary highlights the fluidity of myth and memory while connecting these narratives to contemporary issues faced by Maithili women, including gender roles and social mobility. The film also foregrounds local voices and artistic practices, avoiding external exoticization, and presents the ongoing nature of women’s struggles and cultural transformation in Mithila.