Martina Liverani, the journalist in charge of the “Thinking Curvy” column for Vogue Italia, recently interviewed me about my work on THE ILLUSIONISTS.

The interview was featured in the September issue – the most important one of the year (page 132 FYI)!

I’m incredibly grateful for this honor, especially for the chance to speak about consumer culture and body politics to a wider audience, who may not be familiar with these themes. I applaud the pluck of editor Franca Sozzani and the whole Vogue Italia team. Grazie mille!

Here’s an excerpt from my interview:

(Speaking about mass media and advertising’s “illusions”)

The chief illusion is that in order to be successful you must strive for a “perfect body” and eternally youthful looks. In our modern culture, this has become such an obsession that millions of women spend inordinate amounts of time and money trying to reach an ideal that is by definition unattainable. They are thus condemned to a life of perpetual frustration and poor self-esteem.

Full transcript coming soon. In the meantime, you can see the full page interview by clicking here.

The Kickstarter fundraising campaign for my feature-length documentary The Illusionists ended this past Friday. The outcome? 114% funded, with $37,708 pledged by 363 backers. I’m overjoyed and incredibly honored to be the recipient of so much goodwill, encouragement, and generosity.

Two dozen blogs wrote articles about my campaign. You can read them at this link.

What’s next? A short break, pre-production, and filming interviews as early as next month!

I recently spent eight magnificent days in Jordan working as director of photography on “Lili’s Journey” – an upcoming feature-length documentary about women’s social and economic empowerment. The Jordanian shoot included the 17th and last interview of the film, which is now entering post-production.

We traveled all over Jordan, visiting the northern region of Jerash, the stunning ruins of Petra in the South, the area bordering the Dead Sea, as well as many locations in the capital, Amman. My Canon 5D was filming virtually at all times, capturing street life as well as the beauty of ancient monuments. For this reason, I came home with barely 200 photos, taken – or rather stolen – during breaks and spare moments. I couldn’t channel my inner paparazzo – 700-900 photos are my daily average when I’m not filming – but images of this extraordinary country are permanently etched in my mind. Here is a selection of photos from the trip.

Petra, Jordan. Left: The Treasury. Right: a local guide

Jerash, Jordan

The Dead Sea

A shoeshiner in Downtown Amman

Pupils at a Madrasati school near Jerash

Me, getting ready to film at a Madrasati school near Jerash. Photo by Katia Belmadani.

Role: cinematographer & editor

Recommendation: click on “HD” to watch the videos in high-definition.

Highlights from the conference (12 min):

The speech by eminent psychotherapist Susie Orbach that kicked off the summit:

A presentation by body image activist Sharon Haywood (co-editor of Adios Barbie):

Gear: Canon 5D Mark II, Nikkor 80-200mm AIS

A few screenshots from “Three Days to See” – a film on which I am serving as director of photography.

We had the privilege of filming at the Metropolitan Museum before the public got in. For about an hour and a half this past Tuesday morning, we roamed around the breathtaking halls of the MET, capturing the artworks that Helen Keller would have wanted to see. A truly magical experience.