When I was twelve years old, during the Gulf War, food became my refuge. After every air-raid siren, my father would prepare a bowl of sugar-loaded cornflakes to calm my fear. Food softened pain, and over time, carbs — in all its forms — became comfort, love, and belonging.

In my family, food is how love is expressed. Even today, my mother still asks if I've eaten enough. Parting from carbs, and from life as an overweight person, meant letting go of an emotional narrative that had shaped my identity — and facing the fear of what might replace it.

Making this film allowed me to revisit that journey through the story of Itzik, its protagonist, with compassion and humor. Like him, I discovered that letting go is painful and uncertain — but that within loss, there is also healing, tenderness, and the possibility of change.

Farewell to Dough is a film about late coming-of-age and the courage it takes to choose a new path. For me, it reflects a deeply personal journey — as a child and as a creator. It deals with the pain of separation, the hope of renewal, and the power of human choice: the decision to step onto a frightening and uncomfortable path that holds within it the greatest potential of our humanity.