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FREMONT

By Babak JALALI

Drama - Completed 2023

Donya works for a Chinese fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. Formerly a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, she struggles to put her life back in order. In a moment of sudden revelation, she decides to send out a special message in a cookie.

Festivals
& Awards

Sundance Film Festival 2023

Karlovy Vary IFF 2023

Crystal Globe Competition

Zurich FF 2023

Special Screenings

- Year of production
- 2023
- Genres
- Drama, Romance
- Countries
- USA
- Languages
- ENGLISH, DARI, CANTONESE
- Duration
- 88 mn
- Director(s)
- Babak JALALI
- Writer(s)
- Babak JALALI, Carolina CAVALLI
- Cast
- Anaita WALI ZADA, Gregg TURKINGTON, Jeremy Allen WHITE
- Producer(s)
- Marjaneh MOGHIMI, Sudnya SHROFF, Rachael FUNG, Laura WAGNER, Chris MARTIN, George RUSH
- Synopsis
- Beautiful and troubled 20-something Donya, an Afghan translator who used to work with the U.S. government, has trouble sleeping. She lives by herself in Fremont, California, in a building with other Afghan immigrants and often dines alone at a local restaurant watching soap operas. Her routine changes when she’s promoted to writing the fortunes at her job at a fortune cookie factory in the city. As her fortunes are read by strangers throughout the Bay, Donya’s smoldering longing drives her to send a message out to the world, unsure where it will lead.
  
  Shot in black and white, and with warmth and a wry sense of humor, director Babak Jalali has crafted a loving portrait of a young woman haunted by the past but still filled with desire for companionship and connection. Featuring a cast of unforgettable, unique characters, and anchored by a beguiling debut performance from real-life Afghan refugee Anaita Wali Zada, Fremont is an ode to the curious beauty of trying to build a new life in a strange land.

FREMONT

Festivals& Awards

Festivals
& Awards