EXCLUSIVE: Gloria Steinem, Naomi Watts, Anna Konkle and Megan Rapinoe are among the bold-face names who appear in the documentary Periodical, which makes its world premiere tonight at SXSW in Austin.
The film directed by Lina Lyte Plioplyte illuminates a subject that has long been relegated to the shadows – menstruation.
“Periodical tells the unexpected story of the human body by exploring the marvel and mystery of the menstrual cycle, from the first period to the last,” a description of the documentary notes. “From soccer star Megan Rapinoe who reveals how the Women’s World Cup winning U.S. Soccer team tracks their cycles, to scientists who are discovering the power and possibilities of stem cells found in period blood, to young activists flipping the bill on period tax one state at a time, and celebrities like Gloria Steinem, Naomi Watts, and Anna Konkle advocating in their own rights, we uncover the shocking truths, challenge taboos, and reveal some hacks and celebrate the untapped potential of this special nutrient-dense blood.”
Periodical is premiering in the festival’s Documentary Spotlight section. We have your first look at it in the trailer above.
Gloria Steinem in ‘Periodical’
Courtesy of Spencer Pazer
“I think women’s bodies are political and, so, I think the period is part of that,” Rapinoe observes in the film. Steinem, the feminist pioneer, says, “It’s just part of life. We have suppressed that knowledge and made it seem shameful.”
MSNBC Films presents Periodical, a production of XTR and Lyte Films. Executive producers include Kathleen Flood, Kathryn Everett, Justin Lacob, Bryn Mooser, Amanda Spain, Rashida Jones, and Christina D. King. Lina Lyte Plioplyte directs and shares cinematography credit with Bianca Cline, Evan Carter, and Lauren Guiteras. Pegah Farahmand produces; the editor is Jessica Potter. The music is by Kiran Gandhi.
Following tonight’s world premiere, Periodical will screen twice more at SXSW, on March 12 and March 18.
Watch the dynamic trailer above. It contains quite literally a shocking scene of a man who is zapped with a “period cramp simulator.”
