We're living in 2019, and 'Menstruation' is still one of the biggest taboos in India. So many men, and even women hesitate to talk about it. Be it the people living in small villages of India or some of the ones living in cities, the situation isn't any different.
So, this Indian Documentary, 'Period. End Of Sentence', that deals about the 'Stigma Of Menstruation In India' just won an Oscar for best documentary at the 91st Academy Awards.
Directed by filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi, An Iranian-American filmmaker, 'Period. End Of Sentence', is a documentary set in Hapur, A small village around Delhi. It is the story of how the lives of young women in a village are affected by taboos around menstruation.
The story takes us through how for generations, these women didn’t have access to pads. But when a low-cost sanitary pad manufacturing machine is installed in the village, they learn to manufacture their own pads and it changes their lives.
It is the very same machine, invented by Arunachalam Muruganantham, who was also the inspiration for the Bollywood commercial, Pad Man. He even has a cameo in this short documentary.
It's Produced by Guneet Monga of Sikhya Entertainments (who earlier produced critically acclaimed films like Masaan, The Lunchbox, Gangs Of Wasseypur, and many more).
And the Pad-Manufacturing machine that is shown in the film is actually funded by the students of Oakwood School in Los Angeles, started along with their teacher, Melissa Berton, under the project named, 'The Pad Project'.
It is a story that all the Indians should know about. And learn the fact that 'Period'is no more a Taboo.
In her speech, Director Rayka said that, 'I'm not crying as I'm on my periods, but because my film about it, won'.
The 25 minute documentary is available to stream on Netflix.