Softex / Film / 2023
Ana & The Red Wings
In a village in Sumba, a girl's first period becomes something to grow into rather than hide from.
The Stills
The Film
A short film from Softex in partnership with UNICEF Indonesia, part of the long-running #DariSaudari menstrual health initiative. Set in a village in Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, it follows a girl named Ana through her first period, reframing the moment through the symbol of "red wings," a metaphor for the maturity and readiness that comes with growing up, rather than something to be hidden or feared. Released for International Women's Day 2023 alongside a companion art exhibition interpreting the same symbol.
The Craft
Shot as an intimate, observational drama rather than a product commercial, the film leans on natural light, real domestic interiors, and the wide open landscape of Sumba to ground the story in a specific place. Handheld, close camera work follows Ana through quiet, everyday moments, at school, at home, with family, letting small gestures and glances carry the emotional weight instead of an overt sales pitch, with the Softex and UNICEF partnership only surfacing on the closing card.
The Cast
Ana is played by a young, naturalistic lead whose performance stays quiet and internal rather than performed, supported by an ensemble of schoolmates and family members, an older woman standing in as a mother or grandmother figure, cast to feel like a real Sumba community rather than actors, in keeping with the film's documentary-adjacent tone.
