[Python] What does a leading . (dot, period) in an import statement in Python mean?

I'm looking over the code for Python's multiprocessing module, and it contains this line:

from ._multiprocessing import win32, Connection, PipeConnection


instead of

from _multiprocessing import win32, Connection, PipeConnection


the subtle difference being the period before _multiprocessing. What does that mean? Why the period?

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