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Rayka Zehtabchi

Rayka Zehtabchi

Directing

Biography

Rayka Zehtabchi is an Oscar-winning Iranian-American director based in Los Angeles. Her directorial debut, Madaran, is an Iranian language short that won Jury awards at top film festivals and qualified for the 89th Academy Awards in 2016. She won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short at the 91st Academy Awards for Period. End of Sentence., a documentary about a group of village women in Northern India who start a sanitary pad-making business in an effort to improve feminine hygiene and de-stigmatize menstruation. Along with the film’s release, Rayka helped co-found the non-profit “The Pad Project” to fight the stigma of menstruation and improve feminine hygiene worldwide. Rayka’s passion is telling human stories that bring awareness and action to little-known social causes. In both documentary and narrative, she brings a naturalistic approach to her storytelling, striving for honesty and intimacy on screen.

Known For

The View
4.4

ABC Daytime's morning chatfest, currently featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro discussing the most exciting events of the day. Hot topics in the news, the best experts in their field, celebrity interviews and general entertainment are all part of The View.

The View

1997
The Singers
6.8

An impromptu singing contest at a dive bar turns a lonely night into a soul-baring moment of shared harmony.

The Singers

2026
Period. End of Sentence.
7.8

In an effort to improve feminine hygiene, a machine that creates low-cost biodegradable sanitary pads is installed in a rural village in Northern India. Using the machine, a group of local women is employed to produce and sell pads, offering them newfound independence and helping to destigmatize menstruation for all.

Period. End of Sentence.

2018
Mammoth
10.0

Two brothers, Paul and Elliot, embark on one last road trip together to Mammoth, California.

Mammoth

2018
We Home
6.0

When two desperate boys force their way into the home of a privileged college student, they discover what it's like to live without struggle.

We Home

2018
Madaran
N/A

An Iranian mother must decide whether to end or spare the life of her son's killer.

Madaran

2016
You Know Where to Find Me
2.0

Frankie's waited for this day for 23 years. With his mom's help, he packs up everything he owns and sets out to start a new life alone. But the euphoria of newfound independence is short-lived, and as the dust settles and night falls on his new apartment, he misses his mom.

You Know Where to Find Me

2023
Ours to Tell
N/A

Four people - Brittany, Hannah, Nick, and Ylonda - tell their stories about how access to abortion in their community helped them empower themselves to lead lives they want to live.

Ours to Tell

2020
Just Hold On
6.3

Mutton Bustin’ champion and future spy, 7-year-old Marlie McDonald is a symbol of resilience and vigor. Marlie was born with an aggressive brain tumor and spent her first few years in hospitals. Today, fearless Marlie is in long-term survival care and insists on riding sheep in her free time.

Just Hold On

2020
Long Line of Ladies
3.7

A girl and her community prepare for her Ihuk, the once-dormant coming of age ceremony of the Karuk tribe of Northern California.

Long Line of Ladies

2022
(SHn(y)o͞of)
6.0

Bill and Tonya Martin don't speak English anymore. This is the story of Martinese.

(SHn(y)o͞of)

2019
The Old Young Crow
7.2

An Iranian boy befriends an old Japanese woman at a graveyard in Tokyo.

The Old Young Crow

2023
They Came From All Over
N/A

They Came from All Over highlights the important role small businesses play within their local communities. A love letter to small businesses everywhere, the film follows grocery store owner, Tom Mulholland, as he confronts the possibility of losing his family business and the impact it can have on his small Iowa town.

They Came From All Over

Are You Still There?
N/A

Safa’s been through a lot. Now her car battery's dead in a strip mall parking lot.

Are You Still There?

2021
A Woman's Place
N/A

A Woman’s Place is a documentary short film by Ventureland, Vox Creative and KitchenAid that gives an intimate look at the culinary world through the eyes of three women: Karyn Tomlinson, Marielle Fabie and Etana Diaz. As each woman reflects on the biases and sexism that she faced at the beginning of her career, the stories seem to echo one another. Directed by Academy® Award-winner Rayka Zehtabchi, we witness glimpses of their dark pasts intertwined with the brightest moments of their careers. Each woman carved out a place for herself in the industry — not just as a woman, but as a butcher, chef and restaurateur.

A Woman's Place

2020