Breadmakers

Year of production: 
2007
Genre: 
Running time: 
10 minutes
Director: 
Yasmin Fedda
Producer: 
Robin Mitchell
Jim Hickey

At a unique Edinburgh bakery, a community of workers with learning disabilities makes a variety of organic breads for daily delivery to shops and cafes in the city.

The workers interact using individual expressions, repetitive speech and sign language, revealing intricate social relationships with each other and their support workers. In what can seem a chaotic workplace, there is a mix of sounds that can approach levels of white noise amidst the carefully structured everyday process of bread production.

The featured bakery is part of a centre inspired by the ideas of Rudolph Steiner where the workers realise their potential for self-discovery and creativity in a social environment.

You can view the film on the BBC Film Network here and regulars blogs are posted here.

Awards and Nominations

  • Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh, UK (2007) (Short Scottish Documentary Award)
  • BAFTA Scotland nomination in the best short film category (2007)
  • International Documentary Festival on Disability, Athens, Greece (2008) (Best short documentary prize)
  • The Middle East International Film Festival, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2008) (The Black Pearl for Best Documentary Short Film)
  • Heartland Film Society, Pitlochry, UK (2008) (Audience Award)

Stills