Florian Zeller, Federica Sainte-Roses Blue Morning Pictures Join Babak Jalalis Sundance-Bound ‘Fremont’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Oscar-nominated director Florian Zeller (“The Father,” “The Son”) and Federica Sainte-Rose have boarded Babak Jalali’s Sundance-bound “Fremont” under their new banner Blue Morning Pictures.

The movie will world premiere in the NEXT section at Sundance and is repped by CAA in the U.S., while Memento International is handling international sales.

Helmed by Jalali, an Iranian-born, London-based director, the black-and-white film delivers a warm portrait of a young Afghan woman haunted by her past, who decides to start a new life in California.

The film tells the story of Donya, a 20-something former translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, who now works for a Chinese fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. A new immigrant, 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.

“Fremont” marks the screen debut of Anaita Wali Zada, a real-life Afghan refugee, who stars in the film opposite Jeremy Allen White, the Golden Globe-winning actor of “The Bear,” and Gregg Turkington (“Ant-Man”).

“Babak Jalali’s ‘Fremont’ tells a deeply human story with such a unique blend of poetry and levity that it will surely warm audiences’ hearts as it did ours,” said Zeller and Sainte-Rose.

“It is a film about building bridges and love, which resonates deeply in the fractured and isolated time in which we find ourselves. We could not have dreamed of a more perfect film and team with whom to collaborate and are immensely proud to bring it to screen,” the pair continued.

Jalali previously directed “Land,” which played at Berlin; “Radio Dreams,” winner of the best film award at Rotterdam; and “Frontier Blues,” which competed at Locarno. “Fremont” was penned by Jalali and Carolina Cavalli, whose filmmaking credits include “Amanda.”

Jalali said the film team was “thrilled to have Blue Morning Pictures, an exciting new company with whom we all share similar sensibilities, alongside us on the ‘Fremont’ team!”

“I am very fond of Florian Zeller’s work and the support and encouragement I have received from both him and Federica Sainte-Rose has meant a great deal,” Jalali continued.

“Fremont” is produced by Marjaneh Moghimi’s Butimar Productions and Rachael Fung’s Extra A Productions in association with Blue Morning Pictures. The film is also produced by the late Marjaneh Moghimi, Sudnya Shroff, Rachael Fung, George Rush, Chris Martin and Laura Wagner.

Zeller and Sainte-Rose launched Blue Morning Pictures alongside Mediawan (“Call My Agent!”), the new parent company of Plan B, in September. Zeller’s latest film, “The Son,” starring Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern and Vanessa Kirby, will be released by Sony Pictures Classics in the U.S. on Jan. 20.

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