Los Angeles: "Period. End of Sentence", an India-set film on the taboos around menstruation and featuring the real 'Pad Man', picked up an Oscar in Documentary Short Subject category at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony.
The film, backed by Indian producer Guneet Monga's Sikhya Entertainment, is about women in India fighting against the deeply rooted stigma of menstruation and delving upon the work of real life 'Pad Man' Arunachalam Muruganathan.
Directed by award-winning Iranian-American filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi, the film is created by The Pad Project, an organisation established by an inspired group of students at the Oakwood School in Los Angeles and their teacher, Melissa Berton.
The 26-minute film follows girls and women in Hapur in northern India and their experience with the installation of a pad machine in their village. It was pitted against "Black Sheep", "End Game", "Lifeboat" and "A Night At The Garden".
"I can't believe a film about menstruation just won an Oscar," Zehtabchi said as she got up on the stage to accept the honour.
Zehtabchi and Berton accepted the award with their inspiring words. "I'm not crying because I'm on my period or anything."
A Netflix documentary, "Period..." is executive produced by Guneet Monga and is co-produced by Monga's Sikhya Entertainment, which has backed films like "The Lunchbox" and "Masaan". The Indian producer even got a huge shout out from the team while accepting the award.