Memento International has closed a raft of deals on “Fremont,” a critically acclaimed film starring Anaita Wali Zada, an Afghan refugee and first-time actor, and featuring “The Bear” actor Jeremy Allen White.
Directed by BAFTA-nominated Iranian-born director Babak Jalali, the black-and-white movie tells the story of Donya, a young woman working at a Chinese fortune cookie factory in the San Francisco bay. 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. Following its Sundance premiere, the film was acquired by Music Box for North America in a deal negotiated by CAA.
Memento International has just struck deals for the movie in Australia and New Zealand (Mushroom Studios), Eastern Europe (HBO), Spain (Madfer Films), Italy (Wanted), Greece (One From the Heart), Czech Republic (Aerofilms...
Directed by BAFTA-nominated Iranian-born director Babak Jalali, the black-and-white movie tells the story of Donya, a young woman working at a Chinese fortune cookie factory in the San Francisco bay. 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. Following its Sundance premiere, the film was acquired by Music Box for North America in a deal negotiated by CAA.
Memento International has just struck deals for the movie in Australia and New Zealand (Mushroom Studios), Eastern Europe (HBO), Spain (Madfer Films), Italy (Wanted), Greece (One From the Heart), Czech Republic (Aerofilms...
- 3/14/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Shane Atkinson’s “Laroy,” a crime thriller laced with dark comedy, swept three major prizes at the 49th edition of the Deauville American Film Festival.
The movie, which marks Atkinson’s feature debut and showcases Coen brothers influences, won the Grand Prize, the Audience Award and the Critics Award. It stars John Magaro as Ray, who decides to kill himself after discovering his wife has been cheating on him. But just before he pulls a trigger, a stranger takes him for a low-rent hitman. The movie was produced by the Cannes-based company Adastra Films and was acquired by a French distributor, Arp Selection, during the Deauville Film Festival. It previously opened at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Jury Prize, meanwhile was shared by two films, Sean Price Williams’ “The Sweet East” and Iranian-born director Babak Jalali’s “Fremont.” “The Sweet East” marks the feature debut of Price, a well-established cinematographer whose credits include “Good Time.
The movie, which marks Atkinson’s feature debut and showcases Coen brothers influences, won the Grand Prize, the Audience Award and the Critics Award. It stars John Magaro as Ray, who decides to kill himself after discovering his wife has been cheating on him. But just before he pulls a trigger, a stranger takes him for a low-rent hitman. The movie was produced by the Cannes-based company Adastra Films and was acquired by a French distributor, Arp Selection, during the Deauville Film Festival. It previously opened at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Jury Prize, meanwhile was shared by two films, Sean Price Williams’ “The Sweet East” and Iranian-born director Babak Jalali’s “Fremont.” “The Sweet East” marks the feature debut of Price, a well-established cinematographer whose credits include “Good Time.
- 9/9/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Fremont,” a beautiful and poignant story of an Afghanistan immigrant, stuck between two cultures in America … co-written and directed by Babak Jalali. In select theaters on September 8th, see local listings.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) is an ex-translator for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, who just managed to get out of the war-torn country on a special visa and has found work in Fremont, California, with a family-run fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. Around the same time she is promoted to write the fortunes for the cookies, she begins to see a therapist (Gregg Turkington) who connects in a profound way to her case, and she begins to open up to new possibilities, including an encounter with a lonely auto mechanic on September 8th. See local listings for other locations. Featuring Anaita Wali Zada, Gregg Tarkington, Hilda Schmelling,...
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) is an ex-translator for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, who just managed to get out of the war-torn country on a special visa and has found work in Fremont, California, with a family-run fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. Around the same time she is promoted to write the fortunes for the cookies, she begins to see a therapist (Gregg Turkington) who connects in a profound way to her case, and she begins to open up to new possibilities, including an encounter with a lonely auto mechanic on September 8th. See local listings for other locations. Featuring Anaita Wali Zada, Gregg Tarkington, Hilda Schmelling,...
- 9/8/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Jeremy Allen White is one of the most talented and charming actors working in the film and TV industry. The American actor started his acting career with a small role in the 2006 drama film Beautiful Ohio. Since then he has been a part of some of the most brilliant movies and TV shows ever including the smash hit comedy drama series Shameless. So, if you love Allen White’s performances here are the 10 best movies and TV shows starring Jeremy Allen White that should be on your watchlist.
Rob the Mob Credit – Millennium Entertainment
Synopsis: An enthralling and high-octane crime-thriller, Rob the Mob stars Michael Pitt, Nina Arianda, Ray Romano and Andy Garcia. Based on a true story, it chronicles two lovers whose daring heists of Mafia social clubs in New York result in a discovery that forever changed the face of organized crime in America. Now the feds, family members,...
Rob the Mob Credit – Millennium Entertainment
Synopsis: An enthralling and high-octane crime-thriller, Rob the Mob stars Michael Pitt, Nina Arianda, Ray Romano and Andy Garcia. Based on a true story, it chronicles two lovers whose daring heists of Mafia social clubs in New York result in a discovery that forever changed the face of organized crime in America. Now the feds, family members,...
- 9/4/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
A long time ago, in what might as well have been a galaxy far, far away, Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) was a translator for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. Now, this young woman lives in the Bay Area town of Fremont, a stone’s throw from Silicon Valley and a dozen or so Bart stops from San Francisco. Every day, she commutes from an apartment complex populated by Afghan immigrants into the City by the Bay, where she works in a fortune-cookie factory in Chinatown. Every evening, she returns home...
- 9/1/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
To characters in Babak Jalali’s Fremont, memories both serve an artistic purpose and function as nuisance to be dealt with. Unresolved experiences while serving as a translator to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan prevent refugee Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) from sleeping soundly in her new home of Fremont, California. She seeks sleeping pills from oddball psychiatrist Dr. Anthony (Gregg Turkington) who spends their sessions largely promoting the virtues of his favorite immigrant story: Jack London’s White Fang.
Later when fortune cookie factory owner Ricky (Eddie Tang) offers Donya a promotion from packaging the cookies to writing the messages that go inside, he leans on his instinct that her past pain will lend her a rich worldview from which to draw from as a writer. These plot machinations are rarely front and center in Fremont, and Donya’s seemingly-troubled past isn’t something she freely discusses with those around her.
Later when fortune cookie factory owner Ricky (Eddie Tang) offers Donya a promotion from packaging the cookies to writing the messages that go inside, he leans on his instinct that her past pain will lend her a rich worldview from which to draw from as a writer. These plot machinations are rarely front and center in Fremont, and Donya’s seemingly-troubled past isn’t something she freely discusses with those around her.
- 8/31/2023
- by Caleb Hammond
- The Film Stage
While the fall movie lineup continues to shift due to studios adamantly deciding not to fairly pay the writers and actors responsible for them being in business in the first place, not much has changed when it comes to August. Aside from A24 yanking Julio Torres’ Problemista from its August 4 opening, the rest of the calendar has stayed intact and here are the films that should be on your radar.
13. What Comes Around (Amy Redford; Aug. 4)
One of the most divisive films to premiere at TIFF last year was Amy Redford’s What Comes Around (formerly titled Roost). Led by Grace Van Dien, Summer Phoenix, Jesse Garcia, and Kyle Gallner, the thriller tracked a young love affair that becomes a menacing game of cat-and-mouse where nothing is what it seems. Jared Mobarak said in his review, “What Comes Around is a tricky film to talk about without massive spoilers unless,...
13. What Comes Around (Amy Redford; Aug. 4)
One of the most divisive films to premiere at TIFF last year was Amy Redford’s What Comes Around (formerly titled Roost). Led by Grace Van Dien, Summer Phoenix, Jesse Garcia, and Kyle Gallner, the thriller tracked a young love affair that becomes a menacing game of cat-and-mouse where nothing is what it seems. Jared Mobarak said in his review, “What Comes Around is a tricky film to talk about without massive spoilers unless,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"It's okay to feel lonely sometimes..." Music Box Films has revealed an official trailer for an indie film titled Fremont, a black & white dry comedy from writer / director Babak Jalali, co-written by Carolina Cavalli (who also directed this year's Amanda). This first premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and has stopped by lots of other festivals including SXSW, Karlovy Vary, IFFBoston, Sun Valley, Seattle, and more. Donya, a lonely Afghan immigrant in the US who works at a fortune cookie factory, is promoted to writing the fortunes inside each cookie. Seeking connection, she decides to send a message out to the world through a cookie, unsure where it will lead. "Tenderly sculpted and lyrically shot in black-and-white, Babak Jalali's Fremont is a wry, deadpan vision of the universal longing for home." Anaita Wali Zada stars as Donya, and the cast features Jeremy Allen White, Gregg Turkington, Hilda Schmelling, and Avis See-tho.
- 8/2/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A highlight at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year Babak Jalali’s Jarmuschian tale of assimilation and identity, Fremont, is now gearing up for a release later this month. Starring Anaita Wali Zada, Jeremy Allen White, and Gregg Turkington the film follows a lonely Afghan fortune cookie factory worker who is promoted to writing the fortunes inside each cookie. Seeking connection, she decides to send a message out to the world through a cookie, unsure where it will lead. Ahead of an opening on August 25 at San Francisco’s Roxie Cinema and expansion to NYC’s IFC Center and LA’s Nuart on September 1, the first trailer has arrived.
Michael Frank said in his Sundance review, “Director Babak Jalali’s fourth feature is sly, droll, finding humor in the darkness surrounding Donya. When she meets with her therapist, a curious, sad Gregg Turkington, he spends the majority of their sessions...
Michael Frank said in his Sundance review, “Director Babak Jalali’s fourth feature is sly, droll, finding humor in the darkness surrounding Donya. When she meets with her therapist, a curious, sad Gregg Turkington, he spends the majority of their sessions...
- 8/2/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
World premiering in Sundance’s Next category back in January, the trailer now arrives for director Babak Jalali’s feature debut Fremont. Co-written by Jalali and Italian filmmaker Carolina Cavalli, the Bay Area-set film stars newcomer Anaita Wali Zada, The Bear‘s Jeremy Allen White and On Cinema‘s Gregg Turkington. An official synopsis reads: Each morning Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) leaves her tight-knit community of Afghan immigrants in Fremont, California. She crosses the Bay to work at a family-run fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. Donya drifts through her routine, struggling to connect with the culture and people of her new, unfamiliar surroundings […]
The post Trailer Watch: Babak Jalali’s Fremont first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Babak Jalali’s Fremont first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/2/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
World premiering in Sundance’s Next category back in January, the trailer now arrives for director Babak Jalali’s feature debut Fremont. Co-written by Jalali and Italian filmmaker Carolina Cavalli, the Bay Area-set film stars newcomer Anaita Wali Zada, The Bear‘s Jeremy Allen White and On Cinema‘s Gregg Turkington. An official synopsis reads: Each morning Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) leaves her tight-knit community of Afghan immigrants in Fremont, California. She crosses the Bay to work at a family-run fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. Donya drifts through her routine, struggling to connect with the culture and people of her new, unfamiliar surroundings […]
The post Trailer Watch: Babak Jalali’s Fremont first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Babak Jalali’s Fremont first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/2/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
“Fremont” made quiet waves at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival this year, a Jim Jarmusch-esque, laconic black-and-white dramedy about an Afghan woman making her way in the San Francisco Bay Area after working as a translator for the U.S. military. Directed by Babak Jalali, “Fremont” stars real-life Afghan refugee Anaita Wali Zada in a breakout, first-time role, along with the likes of comedian Gregg Turkington and “The Bear” Emmy nominee Jeremy Allen White in a small but smoldering role. IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the Music Box Films release below.
Wali Zada plays Donya, who works for a Chinese fortune cookie factory in San Francisco while living in the East Bay city of Fremont. Formerly a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, the 20something struggles to put her life back in order while living in an apartment complex with other Afghan immigrants. In a moment of...
Wali Zada plays Donya, who works for a Chinese fortune cookie factory in San Francisco while living in the East Bay city of Fremont. Formerly a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, the 20something struggles to put her life back in order while living in an apartment complex with other Afghan immigrants. In a moment of...
- 8/2/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
After successful US screenings at Sundance and SXSW, Fremont has its international premiere at Karlovy Vary.
After world premiering at this year’s Sundance in the Next section, and also screening at SXSW, Babak Jalali’s fourth film Fremont has its international premiere at Karlovy Vary, where it it is vying for a Crystal Globe.
Born in Iran and raised in London, Jalali first came to prominence when his 2005 short film Heydar, An Afghan In Tehran garnered a Bafta nomination. His debut feature Frontier Blues premiered in Locarno’s official competition in 2009 while his sophomore effort Radio Dreams won the...
After world premiering at this year’s Sundance in the Next section, and also screening at SXSW, Babak Jalali’s fourth film Fremont has its international premiere at Karlovy Vary, where it it is vying for a Crystal Globe.
Born in Iran and raised in London, Jalali first came to prominence when his 2005 short film Heydar, An Afghan In Tehran garnered a Bafta nomination. His debut feature Frontier Blues premiered in Locarno’s official competition in 2009 while his sophomore effort Radio Dreams won the...
- 7/5/2023
- by Laurence Boyce
- ScreenDaily
Although set in a noirish Northern California, “Fremont” – which premiered at Sundance and plays in competition at Karlovy Vary this week – is a refugee story that’s firmly rooted in reality. Director Babak Jalali’s casting of real-life Afghan refugee Anaita Wali Zada, a first-time actor, in the lead role gives some indication of his commitment to authenticity.
The hardboiled script, co-written with Carolina Cavalli, turns on a young woman, Donya, working in a Chinese fortune cookie factory while starved for sleep and wracked with Ptsd from her past life working with the U.S. military in Afghanistan. The tight dialogue lends another level of stylized sheen to the film, as does the appearance of two veteran actors in wry performances – Gregg Turkington as a Jack London-obsessed therapist, and Jeremy Allen White, best known for his role as master chef in TV series “The Bear,” as a lovelorn mechanic.
The hardboiled script, co-written with Carolina Cavalli, turns on a young woman, Donya, working in a Chinese fortune cookie factory while starved for sleep and wracked with Ptsd from her past life working with the U.S. military in Afghanistan. The tight dialogue lends another level of stylized sheen to the film, as does the appearance of two veteran actors in wry performances – Gregg Turkington as a Jack London-obsessed therapist, and Jeremy Allen White, best known for his role as master chef in TV series “The Bear,” as a lovelorn mechanic.
- 7/4/2023
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
The full programme is to be announced on July 6.
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2023 is to close with the UK premiere of Babak Jalali’s Fremont.
The darkly comic drama continues its festival run, with an international premiere set for Karlovy Vary, having previously been selected for Sundance and SXSW.
The film centres on troubled 20-something Donya, played in a debut performance by former TV journalist Anaita Wali Zada. Like her character in the film, Zada was forced to flee Afghanistan. Donya is an Afghan translator whose work for the US government has led to her becoming lost and adrift in the titular Californian town,...
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2023 is to close with the UK premiere of Babak Jalali’s Fremont.
The darkly comic drama continues its festival run, with an international premiere set for Karlovy Vary, having previously been selected for Sundance and SXSW.
The film centres on troubled 20-something Donya, played in a debut performance by former TV journalist Anaita Wali Zada. Like her character in the film, Zada was forced to flee Afghanistan. Donya is an Afghan translator whose work for the US government has led to her becoming lost and adrift in the titular Californian town,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Anaita Wali Zada in Fremont Photo: Modern Films Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has announced it will close with the UK premiere of Babak Jalali’s Fremont.
The film centres on troubled 20-something Donya, played in a breakout debut performance by former TV journalist Anaita Wali Zada, who, like her character in the film, was forced to flee Afghanistan. Donya is an Afghan translator whose work for the US Government has led to her becoming lost and adrift in the titular Californian town.
Donya takes a new job writing the fortunes at a fortune cookie factory and as her messages begin to be read by those throughout the city, her growing sense of longing drives her to send a more profound statement out to the world.
Jalali previously made Frontier Blues - which screened at Eiff in 2010 - and Radio Dreams.
Fremont marks a personal work for British Iranian...
The film centres on troubled 20-something Donya, played in a breakout debut performance by former TV journalist Anaita Wali Zada, who, like her character in the film, was forced to flee Afghanistan. Donya is an Afghan translator whose work for the US Government has led to her becoming lost and adrift in the titular Californian town.
Donya takes a new job writing the fortunes at a fortune cookie factory and as her messages begin to be read by those throughout the city, her growing sense of longing drives her to send a more profound statement out to the world.
Jalali previously made Frontier Blues - which screened at Eiff in 2010 - and Radio Dreams.
Fremont marks a personal work for British Iranian...
- 6/27/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Music Box Films has acquired the North American distribution rights to “Fremont,” the critically acclaimed drama from Iranian-British filmmaker Babak Jalali.
The film, which premiered to much acclaim, including from Variety, in the Sundance Film Festival’s Next section and later screened at SXSW, stars newcomer Anaita Wali Zada alongside Gregg Turkington and Jeremy Allen White.
“Fremont” follows mid-20s Afghan refugee Donya, played by real-life refugee Anaita Wali Zada, who is struggling to adjust to her new surroundings in Fremont, California. Working at a fortune cookie factory and having lonely dinners at a local restaurant, Donya finds it challenging to connect with the culture and people around her. However, an unexpected revelation leads her to use her cookies to build a bridge to the outside world.
Music Box Films plans to release “Fremont” theatrically later this year, followed by a home entertainment release. The film was produced by Marjaneh Moghimi,...
The film, which premiered to much acclaim, including from Variety, in the Sundance Film Festival’s Next section and later screened at SXSW, stars newcomer Anaita Wali Zada alongside Gregg Turkington and Jeremy Allen White.
“Fremont” follows mid-20s Afghan refugee Donya, played by real-life refugee Anaita Wali Zada, who is struggling to adjust to her new surroundings in Fremont, California. Working at a fortune cookie factory and having lonely dinners at a local restaurant, Donya finds it challenging to connect with the culture and people around her. However, an unexpected revelation leads her to use her cookies to build a bridge to the outside world.
Music Box Films plans to release “Fremont” theatrically later this year, followed by a home entertainment release. The film was produced by Marjaneh Moghimi,...
- 5/2/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Music Box Films has acquired North American distribution rights to “Fremont,” Iranian/British Filmmaker Babak Jalali’s follow-up to “Land” and “Radio Dreams.” Jalali’s film, which premiered in the Sundance Film Festival’s Next section and later screened at the SXSW Film Festival, tells the story of Donya (played by real-life refugee Anaita Wali Zada), a mid-20s Afghan refugee wrestling with complicated feelings about her work as a translator for the U.S. military.
“Quiet, tender, and deeply human, ‘Fremont’ hails the arrival of a strikingly talented new performer in Anaita Wali Zada and loudly announces Jalali as a filmmaker whose ability to tell soulful stories with humor and grace demands attention,” states Music Box Films’ Brian Andreotti. “With an impressive launch out of Sundance and SXSW, we’re thrilled to continue momentum and open this film theatrically to a wider US audience later this year.”
“I’m...
“Quiet, tender, and deeply human, ‘Fremont’ hails the arrival of a strikingly talented new performer in Anaita Wali Zada and loudly announces Jalali as a filmmaker whose ability to tell soulful stories with humor and grace demands attention,” states Music Box Films’ Brian Andreotti. “With an impressive launch out of Sundance and SXSW, we’re thrilled to continue momentum and open this film theatrically to a wider US audience later this year.”
“I’m...
- 5/2/2023
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety Film + TV
“The fortune you’re looking for is in another cookie,” reads one of the many custom fortune cookie messages featured in “Fremont,” a lovely, low-budget mood piece with a hypnotically deadpan temperament, which flew largely below the radar at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. While Iranian filmmaker Babak Jalali’s easygoing fable-like movie serves up such oracular tidbits in abundance, this one defines his central character best. She is Donya (real-life Afghan refugee Anaita Wali Zada), a lonesome and restless Afghan immigrant working at a family-owned fortune cookie factory in San Francisco by day, and enduring severe insomnia by night, in a Fremont apartment complex that also houses other immigrants from her motherland.
Donya can’t sleep for several reasons, though the aforementioned morsel recognizes at least one: What she’s looking for in life seems to be elsewhere. It’s certainly not in her dead-end job or uncomplicated social life.
Donya can’t sleep for several reasons, though the aforementioned morsel recognizes at least one: What she’s looking for in life seems to be elsewhere. It’s certainly not in her dead-end job or uncomplicated social life.
- 2/3/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Music Box Films releases the film in select theaters on Friday, August 25.
A former translator for American troops in Kabul — a role that eventually allowed her to leave her birth country but left her with unresolved feelings of guilt and shame — 20something Donya now lives by herself in a Fremont, California, apartment complex full of other Afghan immigrants. Whatever sense of community Donya gets from the other people in the building doesn’t seem to alleviate her quiet isolation, even if neighbors like Suleyman (Timur Nusratty) and Salim (Siddique Ahmed) are readily available for wistful conversation at all hours of the night.
When the sun comes up, Donya commutes to her job at a Chinese-owned fortune cookie factory, where she’s responsible for printing out the cryptic sayings that other people will eventually translate for themselves. That...
A former translator for American troops in Kabul — a role that eventually allowed her to leave her birth country but left her with unresolved feelings of guilt and shame — 20something Donya now lives by herself in a Fremont, California, apartment complex full of other Afghan immigrants. Whatever sense of community Donya gets from the other people in the building doesn’t seem to alleviate her quiet isolation, even if neighbors like Suleyman (Timur Nusratty) and Salim (Siddique Ahmed) are readily available for wistful conversation at all hours of the night.
When the sun comes up, Donya commutes to her job at a Chinese-owned fortune cookie factory, where she’s responsible for printing out the cryptic sayings that other people will eventually translate for themselves. That...
- 1/20/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
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