Dear members of IDA, I have completed my first feature length documentary that I directed and produced. Thanks to an encouragement from a dear friend of mine and my mentors: producer Denise Robert and director Alanis Obomsawin I discovered a passion for directing. Beauty and the Breast is for many reasons an important film for me and for many who participated in making it. Shot and produced in Montreal, Canada, it took three years to complete. It offers a compelling insight into the lives of many breast cancer survivors. They opened their inner worlds and their hearts to me. My intention was to help demystify the disease while paint an intimate portrait of hope and survival. It is not only invaluable as a testament to human resilience, but it also proves that it’s possible to reach timeless wisdom in the face of adversity.