Indian co-production Period. End of Sentence won the Academy Award in the Best Documentary (Short Subject) category. Directed by Iranian-American filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi, the film follows the women of Hapur district near Delhi fighting the stigma over menstruation by using a sanitary pad-making machine.

Co-producer Guneet Monga was elated upon winning the award. “To Every Girl On This Earth... Know That You Are A Goddess...” she tweeted.

The 25-minute documentary explores the shame attached to menstruation and dealing with menstrual hygiene effectively. A group of women is given a sanitary pad-making machine, invented by Arunachalam Murugantham, the entrepreneur played by Akshay Kumar in the 2018 movie Pad Man. The women go from door to door, selling sanitary pads and creating awareness about menstrual hygiene.

Guneet Monga, who runs the company Sikhya Entertainment, has produced several films and documentaries, including The Lunchbox, Gangs of Wasseypur, Masaan, Tigers and Haraamkhor.

Guneet Monga. Courtesy Facebook.

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