SUPPORT NOT SHAME
Our film jumps between the present and memory of something utterly embarrassing happening to a girl, and a boy who laughs at her, but makes up for it by helping and supporting her. In the present, we see a girl furiously washing something. As the story unfolds we see the item that she’s washing is her blood-stained underwear. The boy goes out of his way to help her wash, wring out and hang up her stained clothing. In the girl’s memory flashbacks, she is confused and humiliated, triggering her to leave school. In the boy’s flashbacks he comes to a realisation that leads him to use his own collection of money to buy her a pack of sanitary pads. He also narrates the story, sharing what he learned, and calls upon others to support not shame menstruation because girls need to stay in school to complete their education alongside them.
Rationale
Boys do not understand what it’s like to have a period which is why they’re so disillusioned by it. Yet, they can relate to how it feels to be embarrassed and humiliated, although not in the context of menstruation.
Even though menstruation is something so natural and normal, almost every girl has experienced humiliation in one way or another. A big reason why girls who can’t afford sanitary pads during their period miss days of school, is because they feel embarrassed by their peers – particularly, the boys.
Our aim was to spread awareness about the difference that supplying girls with sanitary pads makes so that their education is not compromised, but it goes much deeper than that. We wanted to show the audience that there is a greater need to educate young boys to be supportive and to stop permeating that menstruation is something to be ashamed of. A girl’s education is no less important than that of a boy’s. If our 1-minute film can trigger even one boy to think differently about girls having periods, then we’ve taken a step in eliminating the taboo that surrounds the subject of menstruation amongst teenagers.
Additionally, we believe that educators in schools should be teaching young girls and boys that it’s okay to talk about it, help out and that something so normal shouldn’t be ridiculed. Maybe then we could live in a world where the school environment is one of acceptance, empathy, inclusion, support and full attendance. Especially, one where young girls feel safe from shame so that their education stays intact.
Creative team: Montana Ross and Devorah Lemmer
Competition: Cannes Young Lions, South Africa
Brands: Ster Kinekor Sales and the Nelson Mandela Foundation
Actors: Sebego Kgosi, Mahle Mjiba, Kaelan Moonsamy
Voice over: Sebego Kgosi
Music track: https://www.bensound.com
Royalty free music from Bensound
Sound effects: Freesound.org
Viewing Context:
In order to differentiate between the present and the flashbacks, we used colour as a visual indicator. Our present scenes in which the washing, wringing out and hanging up take place are all in colour. Contrastingly, the girl’s and boy’s flashback scenes are in black and white.
