Rayka Zehtabchi

Rayka Zehtabchi
رایکا زهتابچی
Years active2015-present
Notable workPeriod. End of Sentence.

Rayka Zehtabchi is an Iranian-American filmmaker best known for her 2019 Academy Award-winning documentary short Period. End of Sentence., which addresses the topic of period poverty.[1] Her previous film, Madaran, was an Iranian-language short about an Iranian mother who must decide whether to spare the life of her son's killer.[2] Zehtabchi is the first Iranian-American woman to win an Academy Award.[3] After the success of Period. End of Sentence, Zehtabchi collaborated with Planned Parenthood and We Testify to make a short film addressing abortion stigma, which was released in 2020.[4] Her newest short film, Long Line of Ladies, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.[5] The film won the award for Best Documentary Short at SXSW 2022.[6]

  1. ^ Rothstein, Katie (February 24, 2019). "Menstruation Finally Gets the Attention It Deserves at the Oscars". www.vulture.com.
  2. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (July 24, 2017). "NBC Announces Semi-Finalists For 12th Annual NBCUniversal Short Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  3. ^ "First Iranian-American Woman to Win Oscar Turns to Iran-Themed Films". VOA. February 26, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  4. ^ Gonzales, Erica (January 28, 2020). "Oscar-Winning Director Rayka Zehtabchi on Challenging Abortion Stigma with Storytelling". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "Sundance unveils Short Film program for 2022 festival". Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (March 16, 2022). "SXSW Unveils 2022 Award Winners for Feature Film, Shorts, Episodic, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved June 5, 2022.