Titled simply "Dough," the UK-Hungarian co-production, drected by John Goldschmidt from a script penned by Yehuda Jez Freedman and Jonathan Benson, is described as a cross-cultural comedy, set in London’s East End, and tells the story of an old Jewish baker (played by Jonathan Pryce) whose failing bakery business gets an unexpected boost when his young Muslim apprentice (played by Jerome Holder) accidentally drops cannabis into the dough.
As the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (where the film screened last year) states: "Food has always represented more than sustenance in Jewish culture, and its transformative power is on display in this delightful British dramedy which unites a widowed third generation kosher baker, Nat (a crusty yet compassionate Jonathan Pryce), and his new Muslim apprentice, Ayyash (Jerome Holder in a breakout performance). Dayan & Son Bakery is in a downward spiral. Nat’s customers are all moving or dying. To top it off, his adversarial competitor is moving in on his turf, and his son has no interest in carrying on the family business. When Nat’s apprentice quits, he reluctantly hires Ayyash, a smalltime pot dealer living with his mother, who has struggled to keep a crumbling roof over their heads since they immigrated to England from Darfur. Working the dough at the sleepy bakery, Nat and Ayyash begin to understand each other’s personal histories and religious rituals; distrust becomes respect and eventually a heartwarming intergenerational friendship. But Dough really takes off when Ayyash’s two professions accidentally merge in a batch of very popular cannabis-infused challah. Then things begin to look up for both men."
The write-up further describes it as a "perfect for film lovers of any age, race, religion or gender with an appetite for feel-good cinema."
Malachi Kirby (who co-starred in 2 previous feature films covered on this blog – British/Egyptian drama "My Brother The Devil" and British/Nigerian dramedy "Gone Too Far") is also among the cast of "Dough."
As for co-star Jerome Holder, he also featured in 2 previous films covered on S&A – British drama "Honeytrap," and sci-fi actioner "Shank."
Santa Monica, CA-based Menemsha Films have come on board to distribute the film in North America, setting an April 29th theatrical premiere, likely in a limited release to start.
A trailer follows below:
