Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), which this year is hosted by Edinburgh International Festival, announces that the Closing Night film for this year’s Festival will be the UK Premiere ofFremontfrom BAFTA nominated filmmaker Babak Jalali.
The film centres on a troubled young woman called Donya. Donya is an Afghan translator whose work for the U.S. Government has led to her becoming lost and adrift in the titular Californian town. She is played in a debut performance by former TV journalist Anaita Wali Zada who, like her character in the film, was forced to flee Afghanistan.
Fremont’s humour coupled with its stark, black and white cinematography has invited comparisons with the work of Jim Jarmusch and is a portrait of a young woman struggling to come to terms with the ghosts of her past, whilst simultaneously yearning for human connection and companionship.
Featuring an eclectic cast of characters and anchored by a touching performance by Zada, Fremont is an ode to the shared experiences of so many immigrants trying to build a life in a new place.
The rest of the cast includes said Anaita Wali Zada alongside Jeremy Allen White (The Bear, Shameless US), Gregg Turkington (Ant-Man, On Cinema), Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You) and Bettina Devin (An Evening with Beverly Duff Lynn). The film is co-written by Carolina Cavalli whose current feature as director is the acclaimed film Amanda.
Fremont marks a personal work for British Iranian director Babak Jalali, whose films have screened at countless festivals around the world. His debut feature Frontier Bluesscreened at EIFF in 2010, and his sophomore feature, Radio Dreams, premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam where it won the Festival’s Tiger Award.
Fremont will be released in the UK this Autumn by Modern Films.
Jalali has said “I’m so honoured that Fremont will have its UK premiere as the Closing Night film at EIFF! Growing up in the UK, it was easy to understand the huge cultural impact EIFF has had not just on these shores but also internationally. And the importance of making sure it continues to be here and to thrive. I’m thrilled to be returning to Edinburgh once again to show a film to an audience that I’ve very fond memories of, and in such a prestigious slot in the programme.”
EIFF runs from Friday 18th to Wednesday 23rd August 2023 with tickets available from midday on 7th July via https://www.eif.co.uk/edfilmfest .
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 