The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, are the awards conferred for recognizing the artistic and technical talents in the film industry. The awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It was the 91st Academy Awards ceremony that took place recently on February 24, 2019, for honouring the best films of 2018.
“Period. End of Sentence” is an Indian documentary which won the Best Documentary Short Subject Award at the Oscars. Directed by Rayka Zehtabchi, the movie is based on the social stigma around menstruation in rural India. The movie highlights the importance of menstrual hygiene and emphasizes on the easy procurement of the menstrual products. It focuses on the impact of menstruation in the lives of females in rural India. The film delves into the life of a man named Arunachalam Muruganathan, who can be considered as the torch-bearer of this initiative. It is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
In this 26-minute documentary, a group of women uses a sanitary pad vending machine, which is newly installed in the village. It helps them to create low-cost sanitary napkins. They market their own pads for improving menstrual hygiene in their village, also keeping in focus the financial independence of women. The film shows how women fight the stigma of menstruation in a rural village and empower their community. It also gives a sneak peek into the life of rural India where nearly 23% of the girls drop out of school due to menstruation when they hit puberty.
The movie is co-produced by Indian producer Guneet Monga’s-Sikhya Entertainment. It came into being as a part of “The Pad Project” which was started by students at the Oakwood School in Los Angeles, with the support of their teacher-Melissa Berton.
There has been an increase in focus on period hygiene in India after a mainstream movie named “Padman” was made on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham staring Akshay Kumar. The Oscar bagged by this movie is won after a gap of 10 years by India. Earlier India won 3 Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire in 2009.
We end our article by quoting the line of the winners “A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education”.
