Fremont: dir Babak Jalali (2023)

Beautiful but troubled, 23-year-old Donya finds her promoted to writing the mantras inside fortune cookies because the wise owner of the factory believes that people with memories write beautifully. Donya, an Afghan refugee with PTSD, Donya already has memories aplenty – which may explain her insomnia, the way she stares solemnly into space, or the maturity that she possesses as a 23-year-old. It also means that, as her boss predicts, her fortune cookie messages pierce the hearts of strangers … This Jarmusch-like black-and-white comedy is a deadpan delight that eschews ostentatious set pieces and favours sombre reflection. It was a big hit at Sundance and SWSX last year. Recommended.

This film screens in the sixth edition of the Manarat’s CinemaMAS film festival, curated this time by filmmaker and visual artist Scandar Copti – head of the Film and New Media program at NYU Abu Dhabi from 2014 to 2017. Currently, he is still teaching filmmaking at NYUAD while working on an upcoming feature film.

Individual films on weekdays are AED 30 per head, weekends are AED 50 per day, and there’s an all-inclusive ticket at AED 150.