Stains
‘Stains’ is a Short Fiction Film based on Manjula Padmanabhan's short story of the same name. The film revolves around a couple from diverse cultural backgrounds, who are spending a weekend with the man’s mother for Onam. During the visit, the woman starts menstruating and stains her bedsheets. Her boyfriend's mother’s extreme reaction to the event, his failure to stand up for her and in turn expecting her to adjust, results in a fraught environment. This conflict builds through the course of the visit, as she examines her own relationship with her blood and pain; while simultaneously examining her romantic relationship.
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Rhea MathewsDirector
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Rhea MathewsWriter
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NID Ford Foundation GrantProducer
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Leah Grace Tenzing NamchyoKey Cast"Leah"
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Akhil KaimalKey Cast"Vishnu"
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Vijaykumari C. S.Key Cast"Vishnu's Mother"
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Shridhar SudhirCinematographer
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A Bhaskar RaoSound Designer
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Project Type:Short, Student, Other
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Runtime:30 minutes
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Completion Date:November 17, 2020
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Production Budget:3,600 USD
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Country of Origin:India
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Country of Filming:India
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Language:English, Hindi, Malayalam
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:Yes
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Clapstick International Student Film FestivalKolkata
India -
DMCS National Short Film FestivalPune
India
February 22, 2019
Best Editing -
14th Habitat Film FestivalNew Delhi
India -
13th SiGNS FESTIVALThrissur
India
September 27, 2019 -
16th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film FestivalNew Delhi
India -
Women’s International Film Festival of Kerala – Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Federation of Film Societies KeralamKozhikode
India -
FEFKA Directors' Union Short Film FestKochi
India -
7th Woodpecker International Film FestivalDelhi
India
Rhea Mathews(24), is a Filmmaker, graduated from the Film and Video Communication Department of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Though a native of Ahmedabad, her family roots originate in Kerala. Her films aim to reach audiences that are under represented and be inclusive and relatable through new lenses and perspectives.
The film examines the portrayal of menstrual blood through the eyes of the people who bleed, those who assign discriminatory connotations to this blood; and in turn the medium of film and how it is used to represent blood and the relationships that surround it. It also provides a glimpse at urban relationships that struggle to exist in the dichotomy of individuality and tradition, wherein a woman attempts to define and reclaim her autonomy.