Schwartzbrot is a story of resilience, intolerance, and bread. A multigenerational documentary, Schwartzbrot leverages baking to reveal the immigration crisis from multiple perspectives while cautioning viewers against the xenophobic ideologies on the rise globally.
The Story
A recent immigrant to the US, Pekar wakes early and embarks on her daily commute. Fueled by determination and heavy metal, she navigates the pre-dawn darkness as she passes anonymously through the urban landscape.
As her day unfolds, a compelling juxtaposition emerges between Pekar's current immigrant experience and the historical journey of Ester Oks, a Romanian Jew born in 1910. In an interplay of timelines, the film explores the parallel lives of Pekar and Ester, women separated by generations but connected by their experience and relationship with bread.
Why Now?
I have deep apprehensions about the future. From dwindling natural resources to shifting weather patterns and the surge of nationalism, the world is out of balance. Displacement and scarcity loom, and immigration is poised to dominate our discourse. Building human context around these issues is the key to developing understanding.
Calling all Bakers
We're currently working with individuals and organizations to identify recently immigrated bakers willing to share their experiences and how bread has fueled their journey. Ideally, we're looking for bakers who have recently come from Eastern Europe, but we're interested in stories from around the world and are equally curious about what one bakes, as we are about their personal experience and relationship with bread.
The interviews will be used as part of an independent documentary with the hope of initially being shared with film festival audiences. Involvement in the project will include a series of phone conversations and a day of shooting. And lots of gratitude, of course.