Editor’s note: This interview was conducted at Sundance long before the writer’s strike. We ran a shorter version of the interview during the festival and now that the film is opening in theatrical release, we are presenting the full, long-form interview.

One of the year’s most delightfully warm and comically offbeat films, Babak Jalali’s “Fremont” tells the story of Donya, a former Afghan translator for the U.S.

Continue reading ‘Fremont’: Director Babak Jalali & Star Anaita Wali Zada On Their Charming, Wry, Low-Key Comedy [Interview] at The Playlist.

Black and white, offbeat indie comedies aren’t all that new or exciting. However, you can tell there’s something special going on with “Fremont.”

READ MORE: ‘Fremont’ Review: An Afghan Insomniac Tries To Find Purpose In A Refreshingly Unique & Jarmuschian-Esque Indie Dramedy [Sundance]

As seen in the trailer, “Fremont” is another black and white indie comedy. But there’s clearly an underlying sweetness in the film that makes it seem like an absolute joy to watch.

Continue reading ‘Fremont’ Trailer: Anaita Wali Zada & Jeremy Allen White Star In This Delightful Indie Comedy at The Playlist.

One of the most delightfully warming and comically offbeat films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Babak Jalali’s “Fremont” tells the story of Donya, a former Afghan translator for the U.S. government who’s felt adrift in the titular California city since resettling there to evade the Taliban. 

READ MORE: ‘Fremont’ Review: An Afghan Insomniac Tries To Find Purpose In A Refreshingly Unique & Jarmuschian-Esque Indie Dramedy [Sundance]

Living in an apartment complex alongside other Afghan immigrants, working at a Chinese-American fortune cookie factory in San Francisco, and spending evenings alone at a local restaurant that plays Afghan soap operas, Donya — portrayed, in a captivating debut performance, by real-life Afghan refugee Anaita Wali Zada —longs for companionship.

Continue reading ‘Fremont’: Babak Jalali & Anaita Wali Zada On Their Delightful & Comically Offbeat Sundance Gem [Interview] at The Playlist.

“I don’t spend much time thinking,” says 20-something Donya (Anaita Wali Zada), a troubled and displaced Afghan insomniac, to her doctor in the terrific, breakthrough indie “Fremont.” Why? he asks inquisitively. “Too busy with my social life,” she answers, with confidence so cool and so far from the truth, it’s laugh-out-loud comical.

READ MORE: 25 Most Anticipated Films At The Sundance Film Festival

Donya’s social life is non-existent; all she does is think.

Continue reading ‘Fremont’ Review: An Afghan Insomniac Tries To Find Purpose In A Refreshingly Unique & Jarmuschian-Esque Indie Dramedy [Sundance] at The Playlist.