Since the documentary captures in heart-warming visuals the change, economic and social, a group of empowered women can foster, Rayka is eager for this documentary to be screened across schools and organisations, especially in India. As the documentary progresses, we see how women, initially bashful about the topic of menstruation, go on to take their menstrual health and hygiene seriously and even use the machine to birth their own business of manufacturing and marketing ‘Fly’, a homegrown brand of sanitary napkins that hopes to ‘help women soar’.The Iranian-American director is obviously ecstatic about the nomination. “When we arrived in the village to begin filming, we were so astonished at how much of an impact this machine was going to have on these women’s lives.. But despite the small team, Rayka says that they had to be extra vigilant about maintaining a low-key presence.
And the rustic visuals do a great job of capturing the taboo and the shame. “We are all over the moon! We wanted to make this film to spread awareness. That will be the most effective way for us eradicate the shame and taboo," she avers. The catalyst for the revolution is‘Pad Man’Arunachalam Muruganantham’s low-cost pad machine, which uses locally available raw materials and a small amount of electricity to make inexpensive, but effective sanitary napkins. “The day the machine arrived was the highlight for us. We see little girls burst into embarrassed giggles as soon as the word‘period’or‘pad’is mentioned while men feign ignorance about this important bodily process or turn a blind eye to the machine and its functions. Bake sales, yoga-thons, crowdfunding campaigns, and a partnership with a Delhi-based NGO helped the students purchase and install the machine and China Gloves Dotting Machine Suppliers also produce the documentary.“This entire project started with a group of young high school girls and their English teacher after they learned that women are being shamed for their periods all over the world and that some women are even forced to drop out of school because of it.
The director also reveals how once, they were banned from entering one of the villages in the area.But these children don’t make an appearance in the documentary, and Rayka tells us why. Every day was a game of chess, both logistically and in regards to the interviews. The Iranian-American director is obviously ecstatic about the nomination. The camera often lingers on faces just a little longer than is comfortable and it is in these prolonged moments that we see, not only internalised shame and stifled anger, but also glimpses of curiosity and the desire for empowerment. "The education component is really important to us and was initially why we set out to make the film in the first place. We want women and men to openly talk about menstruation. The excitement was like nothing weve ever seen before.” The director, who was present in the village when the machine arrived, also recalls how the arrival of the machine impacted the film in a positive way.Director Rayka Zehtabchi’s India-set documentary, Period. I think it was really important for us to be gentle and understanding with our subjects,” she writes.Rayka says that capturing these candid reactions and revelations took a lot of work. I thought, ‘If they think they can change the world, then I want to join them’,” shares Rayka. The documentary, just like the machine, has been funded partly by a group of young girls from Oakwood High School, Los Angeles.