Fremont
Short description
Donya is a young Afghan refugee living in Fremont, California, who struggles with insomnia and survivor's guilt regarding those remaining in Kabul. A former translator, she now spends her days writing the messages for a fortune cookie factory and attending appointments with an eccentric therapist. While navigating a lonely existence and searching for love, she decides to place a special message inside one of the cookies to let fate intervene in her life.
The comedy-drama was directed by Babak Jalali, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Carolina Cavalli. The film stars Anaita Wali Zada as Donya, Jeremy Allen White as Daniel, and Gregg Turkington as Dr. Anthony. Produced by Butimar Productions, Extra A Productions, and Blue Morning Pictures, the project was made with a budget of 3 million USD.
The movie has received generally positive feedback from different groups. It holds a 7.5/10 rating from film critics based on 87 reviews. Audience reception is slightly lower but remains positive, with a 6.9/10 rating on IMDb from 4,200 votes and a 6.3/10 rating on TMDB from 113 votes.
What's left behind the scenes
- Approximately three minutes of footage were cut from the film when shown in Russia.
- Actress Anaita Vali Jadah is also an Afghan refugee in real life. She left the country in 2021.
- Director Babak Jalali fundamentally rejected the idea of casting an Iranian actress as the Afghan girl, despite the fact that there are far more Iranian actresses in the US. Maintaining authenticity was important to him, which is why a non-professional actress of Afghan descent was cast in the lead role.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
