Directed by Rayka Zehtabchi, Period. End of Sentence. (2018) is a 25-minute documentary short film available on Netflix that tackles period poverty and the social impact of menstruation taboos in India. Winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary (Short Subject), this film provides an eye-opening look at the obstacles that people who menstruate face and what is being done to help these individuals.
The documentary is centered on the village of Kathikhera, located in the Hapur district of India, where many people who menstruate lack the resources necessary to acquire sanitary products. In addition, Zehtabchi highlights how a lack of period education has left the residents ill-equipped to manage their periods and has allowed a stigma surrounding menstruation to flourish.
Inspired by Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist who created a low-cost pad-making machine in India, the film chronicles a group of women as they bring change to their community. Through the acquisition of a pad machine, these women are able to provide affordable access to period products for people in their village and create their own microeconomy.
Period. End of Sentence. is a story of empowerment in many regards. This group of women was able to build the foundations of a sustainable source of income for themselves, giving them a sense of independence and empowering people who menstruate in their community to feel as though they can speak about their periods. The film beautifully showcases a local effort to end the stigma around periods in Kathikhera so that young people who menstruate need not feel shame or miss school as a result of their period. By fostering a better understanding of menstruation, the film signals the first steps in dismantling the social stigma that leaves people isolated and labelled as dirty for a healthy and natural process.
Rayka Zehtabchi is a first time documentary director who worked with a group of young activists who were students at Oakwood High School in California when the project began. After one of these students, Helen Yenser, attended a UN Commission on the Status of Women where she learned about period poverty in India, she was inspired to do what she could to alleviate these conditions. What started as an idea became an initiative to supply a pad-making machine and film a documentary that would hopefully raise awareness and money to buy additional machines, increasing sanitary product accessibility for women in the surrounding region.
With the machine that was provided for them, these women not only created their own pads but began to market their own brand called FLY. They now aim to see their products in stores across Delhi, and one day India as a whole, to mark their success in reducing the stigma around menstruation.
Period poverty and stigma is a real issue that impacts the ability of people who menstruate to participate in everyday life, including school, work, prayer, and more, and Period. End of Sentence. celebrates great progress in the fight against patriarchal standards and the fight towards gender equality around the world. It’s important to recognize the accomplishments of women and how they are able to foster community and growth, making Period. End of Sentence. a great addition to your watchlist for International Women’s History Month.