Period. End of Sentence.

2018 film by Rayka Zehtabchi

Rayka Zehtabchi
Guneet Monga
Melissa Berton
Garrett Schiff
Lisa Taback

StarringArunachalam MurugananthamCinematographySam DavisEdited bySam DavisMusic byGiosue Greco, Dan Romer, Osei Essed

Production
companies

The PAD Project
Action India
Girls Learn International
The Feminist Majority Foundation
Oakwood School
Sikhya Entertainment

Distributed byNetflix

Release dates

April 5, 2018 (2018-04-05) (Cleveland International Film Festival)
February 19, 2019 (2019-02-19) (United States)

Running time

25 minutesCountryUnited States^[1]^[2]LanguageHindi

Period. End of Sentence. is a 2018 documentary short film directed by Rayka Zehtabchi about Indian women leading a quiet sexual revolution. The film stars Arunachalam Muruganantham, Shabana Khan, Gouri Choudari, Ajeya, and Anita.^[3]^[4] The documentary short follows a group of local women in Hapur, India, as they learn how to operate a machine that makes low-cost, biodegradable sanitary pads, which they sell to other women at affordable prices. This not only helps to improve feminine hygiene by providing access to basic products ^[5] but also supports and empowers the women to shed the taboos in India surrounding menstruation – all while contributing to the economic future of their community.^[6] The film is inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist from Coimbatore, India.^[7]

Plot

Women are in charge of a tremendous change in a Kathikera village in the Hapur district which is 60 km away from Delhi, India. They battle the pervasive shame associated with menstruation. The lack of access to pads among these women for centuries resulted in health issues, school absences, and eventual dropout of the girls. However, when a sanitary pad factory is set up in the hamlet, the women are taught how to produce and sell their own pads, which empowers the women there. They chose the brand name "FLY" for their company because they want women "to arise".^[8]

Reception

Critical response

Period. End of Sentence has an approval rating of 86% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on seven reviews, and an average rating of 6.3/10.^[9]

Accolades

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) – 91st Academy Awards^[10]^[11]
Winner of the Academy Award qualifying festivals for Best Short Doc at the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Traverse City Film Festival as well as many others including AFIFest, and Savannah.^[12]

References

^ "Period. End of Sentence". Cleveland International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
^ "PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE". AFI FEST. Archived from the original on 2019-09-15. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
^ "'Period. End of Sentence.' Short documentary about menstruation and sanitary pads". People's World. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
^ "The AFI DOCS Interview: "Period. End of Sentence." Director Rayka Zehtabchi". blog.afi.com. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
^ Period. End of Sentence.:Documentary Short-Oscar Nominees 2019
^ "'Period. End of Sentence.' tackles the taboo of menstruation in rural India". EW.com. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
^ 'Period. End of Sentence'.: Transforming a Taboo into a Cause|International Documentary Association
^ "Period. End of Sentence". The Pad Project. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
^ "Period. End of Sentence". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
^ "The list of nominees for the 91st Academy Awards|Entertainment|Alltechnotricks.com". Alltechnotricks.com. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
^ "Period. End of Sentence." wins Best Documentary Short Film-Oscars on YouTube
^ "thepadproject". thepadproject. Retrieved 2019-01-29.