MSNBC Films and XTR are partnering for Periodical, a feature doc about menstruation. Lina Lyte Plioplyte is directing the doc that will premiere on MSNBC in 2023 before heading to Peacock.
The film will feature stories from activists, authors, journalists and doctors, with notable names including Gloria Steinem, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, actress Ashley Greene, and Pen15 star Anna Konkle. The description of the film reads: “Periodical covers everything from the people who use their period blood for facials and “free bleed” while running marathons, to the ones who want to forget it exists. The film uncovers the shocking truths, challenges taboos and celebrates the untapped potential of this nutrient-dense blood.”
Pegah Farahmand is producing the doc with Kourtney Gleason co-producing. MSNBC’s Rashida Jones and Amanda Spain are exec producing alongside XTR’s Kathryn Everett, Kathleen Flood and Justin Lacob.
“For Periodical, I decided to look at menstruation through the lens of curiosity instead of stigma, focusing on people in the field who are treating periods as a valuable asset, not a curse,” said Plioplyte. “My first documentary looked at aging as a celebration and coincided with a pro-aging movement. Now is the time to celebrate the menstruating bodies, and acknowledge the movement to reclaim and empower those with periods.”
“One of the most political things in the United States and the world is the female body. Our bodily functions are the subject of great debate. Lina Plioplyte takes that reality and turns it on its head with Periodical,” said Spain, Vice President, Longform Acquisitions for MSNBC Films. Flood added: “Too many institutions and societal forces have told us for centuries that periods are dirty and taboo, and this documentary exposes that fallacy while bringing light to what’s beautiful and mysterious about the human body.”
MSNBC Films’ documentary slate includes Civil War and Four Seasons Total Documentary, while XTR recently released Apple docuseries They Call Me Magic.
