Interview: Babak Jalali

A conversation with the co-writer and director of Fremont, a fan and critic favorite at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Fremont was my favorite movie at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Co-written and directed by Babak Jalali, the movie evokes early Jim Jarmusch films like Stranger Than Paradise and Down By Law. The lead character Donya is portrayed wonderfully by first-time actor Anaita Wali Zada. Deadpan, touching, funny, tender, Fremont is everything one could want in an indie film.

Plot summary: Donya works for a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. Formerly a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, she struggles to settle into her new life. In a moment of sudden revelation, she decides to send out a special message in a cookie.

Here is an excerpt from a Screen Daily interview with Babak Jalali.

In Fremont, there is a sense that you are playing with the idea of a ‘refugee film’?

When Carolina Cavalli and I started writing the script together, we both knew that we didn’t want the main character Donya to come across as a victim. There is a tendency in films about immigrants to place responsibility on the audience to pity the characters. We wanted to show a character who has the same basic dreams and aspirations as any other human being from another country than her own.

The decision to make the lead character a woman was influenced by a generalised perception or rather misconception of Afghan women. They are often are portrayed as victims in the media, with little agency or determination. The reality is quite the opposite. It was very important too for Marjaneh Moghimi, the original producer of the film, who we started the project with and who sadly passed away ten days before we started shooting the film, that we highlight our main character’s refusal to conform to stereotypes.

The film is a solely US production, while your previous film was an international co-pro. How did you secure funding for the film?

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How did you cast Anaita Wali Zada, who was a well-known presenter and journalist on national television in her native Afghanistan?

When we started looking for someone to play the role of Donya in March 2022, we put out posts on social media and through Afghan community centres in North America. One day, Anaita emailed [having seen a social media post]. She told us that she had never acted before and that she had left Afghanistan on an evacuation flight in August 2021 when the Taliban returned and that she had been resettled in Maryland.

We arranged a video call and, from the first moment, I knew she was exactly right for the role. There were many aspects of Donya’s character she could relate to. Anaita is completely remarkable. We were so lucky to have her in the film.

Here is a trailer for the movie:

The film also features Jeremy Allen White of The Bear fame.

The movie is heading into movie theaters at the end of August. Please check out Fremont. It’s a wonderful film!

Movie website

For 100s more interviews with screenwriters and filmmakers I have featured here on the blog over the years, go here.