Experiencing Interruptions?

Period

Trapped in a nightclub, a trans man must brave the women's bathroom after an invasive visit from that time of the month.

  • Kat Olson
    Director
    The End of the Squirrel
  • Kat Olson
    Writer
    The End of the Squirrel
  • Elizabeth Potter
    Producer
    Octopus, Break & Run
  • David Spadora
    Producer
    Headdress
  • Kat Olson
    Producer
    The End of the Squirrel
  • Michael Christensen
    Producer
    The Shuroo Process, Whelp, Mother, May I Have a Kidney?
  • JJ Maley
    Key Cast
    "Joey "
    What the Constitution Means to Me, 808, Command Z
  • Sofia Belhouari
    Key Cast
    "Purple Heels"
    The Shuroo Process
  • Nina Tarr
    Key Cast
    "Black Boots"
    Car Stealers, Adventures in Success
  • Nicholas Podany
    Key Cast
    "Brian"
    Saturday Night, Juliet & Romeo,
  • Erika Felix
    Key Cast
    "Britt"
  • Potter Productions
    Production Companies
  • Eight Flow Studio
    Production Companies
  • Riley Nightingale
    Director of Photography
    Going Away, Vibrator Girl
  • Bianca Vitale
    Crew
    Subway - Chappel Roan
  • Max Raymond
    Gender Consultant
    808
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 48 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    10,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Imagine This Women's International Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    September 11, 2025
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Reel Pride LGBTQ+ Film Festival
    Fresno, CA
    United States
    September 18, 2025
    West Coast Premiere
    Official Selection
  • OUT at the Movies International Film Festival
    Winston Salem, NC
    United States
    October 5, 2025
Director Biography - Kat Olson

A repressed pastor’s kid turned theatre performer, Kat moved to New York in the pursuit of creating her own works after working as an actress in the South East. Inspired by queer and coming-of-age stories, she strives to create art representing those who never fit the mold. The first short she produced and co-created with Incline Studios, "The End of the Squirrel" sold to Alter and is available to stream on YouTube. She's worked in various production roles over the years: as a producer, stage manager, and assistant director for freelance film companies and live events across the states, notably Potter Productions, who jumped on board to produce this project.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Writing this short became my love letter for the indie, queer community wanting to see nuanced, trans representation displayed honestly on screen. I expanded my network and incorporated the help of gender consultants to make this a possibility in its curation. I'm incredibly proud of the team who contributed to this project.

PERIOD provides a whirlwind excursion that allows for the community to actually laugh during a dysphoric experience. We approached the short like a monster movie, combining the two genres of horror and comedy. Drunk girls are our "raptors," our hiding place is a bathroom stall, and our hero is trapped in a comedy of errors he never intended to witness. Joey is our audience conduit. Everything we see is through his eyes as he navigates the puzzle of his unwanted situation. I want audiences to identify with him most, regardless of gender identities --- feeling out of place in a social situation is a universal sensation. Through this story, we feel his discomfort and also his joy.

On a grander scale, we need to prove that periods are not solely a feminine human experience.

Periods are gnarly, light, painful, fantastic, gruesome, beautiful, inconvenient, obtrusive, or whatever the person holding the period experiences. The people who endure them deserve to have a space to go through it comfortably, no matter their gender expression.

And for those who believe that cis women exist within this constructed damsel-in-distress box, I seek to show all genders in their own worst and best states--- Flawed. Nuanced. Operating based off the information that they know. The women in this bathroom are smart, they're lying to each other, the severity of the situation is a result of human emotions meeting alcohol consumption. Humankind has the tendency to act rashly when coping with fear and heartbreak, all parties fall victim to this in the film.

PERIOD seeks to challenge the trans bathroom narrative TERFs endorse. Trans people need to be protected, not policed.