{Best Documentary Short; 2007 Ashland International Film Festival} At 38, Lori Benson, an aspiring filmmaker living in downtown Manhattan, was relishing life and motherhood with her one-year-old daughter Talula. Then a single phone call changed her life forever: it was her doctor; the diagnosis was breast cancer. Mixing verité footage with home videos and family photographs, Dear Talula is an intimate autobiographical portrait of Lori"s battle with breast cancer. The film follows Lori after she receives the news - the complicated and often confusing medical choices, doctors" visits, surgeries, chemotherapy and search for alternative therapies. It also shows the support and encouragement she receives from loved ones and tender moments shared with Talula. While the film tackles emotional subject matter, it is not without lighthearted moments, as Lori displays an uncanny ability to find the humor in difficult situations. DEAR TALULA is an unforgettable portrait of a woman whose grace and courage allow her to transform her breast cancer diagnosis into a journey of self discovery.