Rayka Zehtabchi is a director, writer and producer working in both documentary and fiction. Her passion lies in telling intimate, human stories that shed light on little-known social causes and communities.
At 25-years-old, Rayka became the first Iranian woman to win an Oscar for her Netflix short documentary, Period. End of Sentence., which is 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.
Rayka’s long-form branded projects made in partnership with Ventureland, include United O for the Special Olympics, A Woman’s Place for KitchenAid, and They Came From All Over for Meta. Her branded short documentary Long Line of Ladies, which was made in partnership with The Pad Project and P&G, was distributed by the New York Times Op-Docs, awarded a Cannes Lion in 2023, and is now a part of The Criterion Collection.
Outside of her branded work, Rayka’s films Madaran, (SHn(y)o͞of), Just Hold On, and Are You Still There?, have received numerous Vimeo Staff Picks and have screened and won Jury awards at major festivals worldwide.
In 2024, Rayka directed her first episode of television on the longstanding Netflix documentary series Chef’s Table. Most recently, Rayka joined the Director’s Guild of America as well as the Academy as a voting member in the short film branch. Her focus is now on writing her first narrative feature, which she’s set to direct in 2026. As a sensitive and versatile storyteller, Rayka continues to work in documentary and fiction, pushing the boundaries of each form with every project she helms.
