A short, abstract story exploring the menopause is coming to Mirth, Maud & Marvel in Walthamstow on Saturday.

The film, Knock of Janus, has been created by Darly Vision Productions. I spoke to filmmaker, Saleena Sadasivan, 51, from South Woodford, to find out more...

Were you always interested in film?

No, I was interested in drama, I wrote a first drama for school where Cinderella was black, average looking but by nature and character beautiful and the two sisters were beautiful but by nature and character cruel. I re-wrote the script with modern twists.

What work have you done before this?

I worked as a relationship counsellor and mediator, while writing original scripts for a local charity and for International Women’s Day celebrations.

Tell me about the film? Why did you choose menopause as the subject?

I had gone through the experience and found the change very dramatic and having come through it with a better understanding wanted to share my experience with others in a creative way. I was also reading on Henry Bergson and his words:

To Exist Is to Change,

To Change Is to Mature,

To Mature Is to Go On Creating Oneself Endlessly

Henry Bergson was awarded the 1927 Nobel Prize in Literature “in recognition of his rich and vitalizing ideas and the brilliant skill with which they have been presented”. Bergson shared amazing ideas on immediate experience and intuition being more significant in understanding of ‘actual time and reality than virtual time’ and abstract rationalism.

I felt instantly connected to these words by Henry Bergson, at a crucial time in my life, my pre-menopause was a huge time of change in my life. My body was physically changing and my, hair was getting greyer, my face was starting to lose its young fresh look and when I looked in the mirror I was starting to feel time had moved on and caught up with me unawares.

My daughter the youngest one had left for university and was living at campus, my partner was busy with work and I had been caught up in work and business, had lost contact with many of my friends. I felt isolated and fearful of the future. I felt I had little control of my life and time had taken over.

Later I realised throughout my life I had changed so why was this more significant? As a child before I started my period I was happy without it. Stopping my period isn’t the end of me, it was a change as when I changed from a baby, to a child, into a teenager then into a young woman and now into a mature woman.

So therefore existence is change, I exist through many forms and understanding of the changes is when I matured, now I realise I can change again and again, go on creating myself endlessly to what I need to be, when I need to be in order to exist, time being a ‘virtual concept.’

How do you think or hope people will react?

People have been very supportive and really positive about the subject. One lady said she cried when she heard the song. The film has original song and original music. It’s a topic we need to talk about, if men had menopause we probably would have a health care system and films that focus on this issue.

What’s next for you?

I have written the next script, perhaps controversial, exploring and experimenting with ideas around sexuality and desire, set in the future.

Mirth, Maud & Marvel,186 Hoe St, Walthamstow, E17 4QH. Saturday, November 10, 2pm to 4pm.