Fremont (International, North America)
Key Cast: Anaita Wali Zada, Avis See-tho, Hilda Schmelling, Siddique Ahmed
Director: Babak Jalali
Producer: Chris Martin, George Rush, Laura Wagner, Marjaneh Moghimi, Rachael Fung, Sudnya Shroff
Screenwriter: Babak Jalali, Carolina Cavalli
Cinematographer: Laura Valladao
Composer: Mahmoud Schricker
With a laconic Jarmuschian vibe, Fremont is a heartfelt comedic ode to the immigrant experience.
Twentysomething Afghan refugee Donya once worked as a translator for the US Army in Kabul, but was evacuated to California when the Taliban took over. Now living in the Bay Area city of the film’s title, she works in a fortune-cookie assembly line and dryly jokes with her therapist about her social calendar – which primarily consists of watching soap operas while dining alone in an empty restaurant. Unable to sleep and plagued by survivor’s guilt, Donya is given a chance to write herself a new life following an unexpected promotion at work.
With Fremont, Babak Jalali (Radio Dreams, MIFF 2016) has created a wistful character comedy, shot in stunning black-and-white Academy ratio, that is both wryly funny and poignantly melancholic. Real-life Afghan refugee Anaita Wali Zada, in her debut performance, gives Donya an extraordinary emotional depth, and is beautifully assisted by comedian Gregg Turkington (better known to some as Neil Hamburger), Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) and a superb supporting cast who memorably embody the film’s many loveable characters.
“So charming, thoughtful, and carefully crafted … Captivating, generous, sensitive, and full of human curiosity.” – The Playlist
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Producer Rachael Fung will be in attendance for the screenings on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 August.