Click here to learn more about A Slim Peace and to view clips of the movie
Q: How did you get your start in filmmaking?
A: I started in media at first. I was a television news producer and journalist. I quickly realized I didn’t like hard news stories, but preferred features. I first started doing internships at CNN when I was in college, and then my first job was in Jerusalem …
Q: What drew you to documentary filmmaking?
A: I was interested in news and reality … I’m interested in storytelling and I have a real desire to tell something …
Q: Many of the women immediately tell you the dieting group is political just by the nature of their identities. Did you know this going into it?
A: Yes. I had to choose or cast the women, as I would cast a fictional film. I had to choose women that would represent part of the conflict. I also had to choose women who were real people who were willing to share their lives and stories and I’m very grateful to the women who did. In terms of the dynamic and who would get along … that was out of my control. Once I chose the women, I was very careful to make sure that whatever happened, happened, so that it was real for the audience—and real in terms of the stories they told. After that, they were on their own!
Q: How did you find these women?
A: We created the group ourselves ... a lot of research went into it.
Q: I read that your inspiration for the film was that you were trying to lose weight in 2000 when the peace process broke down and the idea came together. Is this true?
A: That’s true … I think it’s hard for anyone in this day and age to feel good about your body, considering all the images we have which aren’t real … I don’t have one woman friend or male friend [who doesn’t feel the same] … I was losing weight at the time and I was working with Israelis and Palestinians at the time … I just connected the two … I’m passionate about peace in the Middle East and I wanted to bring together women who normally never meet.
All women struggle with it [body image] … The body is not arbitrary. Bodies can evoke so many emotions: it means victory, failure, and pain … It’s very loaded and so human … that was the impetus. We wanted to connect something that intimate and loaded with something as painful, like conflict …
Q: Did you find yourself relating to certain women more than others, in terms of personality?
