EXCLUSIVE: It’s not easy to get to the remote Baltic Sea island of Rödlöga, but it might be well worth the trip – especially if you can get there within the brief eight-week window in summer when the magical Café Truten opens its doors.
“We bake and cook only with fresh ecological ingredients,” the cafe notes. “We bake our sourdough bread with freshly milled organic flour from Swedish farms and carefully selected ingredients. With flavors of anise and fennel.”
Café Truten might not exist, however, were it not for the efforts of an American chef, Meg Ray, owner of the San Francisco Bay Area Miette pastry empire. The tale of how Ray and locals on the Swedish island came to the rescue of the imperiled café is told in Sweet Störy, directed by Sarah Justine Kerruish and Matt Maude (General Magic).
The feature documentary makes its world premiere this Wednesday as the opening night selection of the Sonoma International Film Festival in California’s wine country. We have your first look at the film in the trailer above.
Meg Ray in ‘Sweet Störy’
Spellbound Productions
Sweet Störy follows Ray on her five-year-long quest to save Café Truten. “In this journey, she rediscovers lost joy, community, and the powerful alchemy of sourdough,” according to a synopsis which notes that the local institution “serves as a lifeline for the people who live in this far-flung part of the Baltic Sea. The daily ritual of sharing coffee and cake with friends, known as ‘Fika’, underpins the very fabric of social life in Sweden. Compelled by a sense of destiny and the ramshackle charm of the café, Meg leaves her award-winning patisseries in the Bay Area to help transform Café Truten in time for its opening on Midsummer Day.
“Café Truten has very little running water or consistent electricity,” the synopsis continues. “With only days to open the café, we watch as Meg and her teenage team are pushed to their limits and pull off culinary miracles in the tiny kitchen. The film explores Swedish traditions, issues of sustainability, and the heroic attempts of the islanders to preserve Rödlöga for the next generation who will inhabit it.”
Kerruish explains in a director’s statement, “When I first heard about Meg and her adventures on Rödlöga, I knew instantly that I would make a film about it. The idea of a tiny bakery on a remote island that was in danger of being lost encapsulates everything I’m interested in; a strong call to adventure, island life (I grew up on one), baking, and what a small group of people can achieve when passion and purpose collide.”
Adds Maude, “Being on the island for me was a bit like finding my people. I definitely felt like I’d found a home in the people there – despite knowing next to no Swedish. Because where there’s no distractions from the internet or electricity, it creates a lot more possibility of community. Everyone knows everyone. Because there’s no food shops or hardware stores nearby, everyone shares everything, everyone helps everyone. There’s always a dinner invitation. Always coffee. Always cake.”
Cupcakes from Café Truten
Café Truten
Kerruish says the documentary tells an “unabashedly a sweet story. There are so many important issues in the world that need documenting, especially now, but I am a great believer in William Blake’s quote, ‘Kiss joy as it flies.’ As much as we do need to stand up to the forces of oppression, we also need to enjoy our lives today.”
Sweet Störy is written, directed and produced by Sarah Justine Kerruish and Matt Maude. Michael Stern serves as executive producer. The cinematographers are Cameron Jaimes, V. K. Jarrett, and Sarah Justine Kerruish. The film is edited by Cameron Jaimes and Matt Maude. Benji Merrison composed the score.
Watch the trailer for Sweet Störy above.
Content shared from deadline.com.