Actress, producer, and director Imoh Eboh, known professionally as Imoh, alongside Bolaji Gelax, has released a new documentary titled Menses: What’s That?, offering a candid look at menstruation through the experiences of young girls. The film premiered in May 2026 on YouTube via Sweet Potato Media, with the aim of encouraging greater understanding of menstruation and the female body.
The project was inspired by a personal experience Imoh has carried with her for years. She recalled the embarrassment of starting her period unexpectedly in class and not realizing she was stained until a boy pointed it out during a double English period. That moment, she said, stayed with her and eventually became part of the reason she wanted to explore menstruation through film.
Speaking exclusively with The Nollywood Reporter (TNR), Eboh explained that Menses: What’s That? is not her first project exploring the subject. She previously created 28 Days, a five-minute documentary tracing a woman’s menstrual cycle from day one to day 28. The latest film, which runs for more than 40 minutes, approaches the subject specifically from the perspective of young girls.
According to Imoh, the documentary was created to introduce another voice to an ongoing conversation about menstruation, particularly by examining how younger generations understand and experience their periods. She hopes to eventually explore the subject across different generations, including millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
A central distinction for Imoh is the need to separate menstruation from the transition into womanhood. She strongly rejects the idea that girls should be referred to as women simply because they have started menstruating. “I refuse that girls be called women because they started their period,” she said. “They are not women, they are girls.”
The documentary features girls between the ages of 11 and 18 discussing their experiences, from getting their first periods to navigating school, friendships and relationships with boys. They also speak about how they wish their parents, particularly their mothers, would approach conversations about menstruation. Rather than directing the conversation, Imoh and her team allowed the girls to speak freely.
Imoh also explained the significance of the film’s title, noting that “menses” is a distinctly Nigerian term for menstruation that carries different associations across generations. While the term remains familiar to some older Nigerians, younger audiences are more likely to simply use the word “period.” The documentary embraces that generational difference while allowing the girls to define the experience in their own words.
The film was deliberately designed as a natural and participatory conversation rather than a heavily structured documentary. The girls spoke openly while their mothers listened nearby, creating an environment where questions and personal experiences could emerge organically. Imoh said the shoot remained relaxed, with the conversations taking place over pizza, rice, and zobo.
She recalled that four of the 18 girls involved had not yet started their periods but were still eager to participate in the conversation. Their reactions ranged from confidence to shyness, with one girl repeatedly describing herself as “nonchalant” about the subject. For Imoh, their willingness to engage showed that conversations about menstruation do not necessarily have to be uncomfortable or forced.
Imoh clarified that although not everything filmed made it into the final 40-minute documentary, nothing was removed because it was considered too uncomfortable. Instead, the cuts were made based on length and relevance. As director, she saw her role as guiding the conversation rather than controlling it, allowing the girls to determine what they wanted to ask and discuss.
Looking beyond Menses: What’s That? Imoh plans to continue the wider conversation around women’s health and menstruation. Future projects could explore conditions and experiences, including PCOS, endometriosis, and fibroids, as well as menstruation among women and girls in underserved communities such as IDP camps.
For Imoh, the most rewarding part of the project was how much she learned from the girls themselves. “It was really beautiful. It was really liberating to have these young girls teach me, give me direct definitions of what period is,” she said. Hearing girls from primary school, secondary school, and university speak openly about menstruation, she added, left a lasting impression on her.
