Virginia Film Festival

VAFF to Continue 2023 Year-Round Film Series

by JennyM on July 13, 2023

VAFF at Violet Crown Series to Present Award-Winning Father/Daughter Comedy Scrapper on Tuesday, July 25

Fremont, A Wry, Loving Portrait of Unforgettable 20-Year-Old Female Afghan Refugee, Set for Tuesday, August 22

Charlottesville, VA – July 13, 2023 – The Virginia Film Festival will continue its popular VAFF at Violet Crown Series this summer with a pair of highly acclaimed films including director Charlotte Regan’s inventive father-daughter comedy Scrapper and Fremont, the story of a young Afghan refugee adjusting to her new land.

The 2023 VAFF at Violet Crown Series is supported by Ting Internet.

Directed by Charlotte Regan, Scrapper is the story of Georgie, a dreamy 12-year-old girl who lives alone in her London flat, filling it with magic after her mother’s passing. When her estranged father Jason (Harris Dickinson, Triangle of Sadness) arrives, she’s forced to confront reality, but does so on her own terms. As they adjust to their new circumstances, Georgie and Jason find that both father and daughter still have a lot of growing up to do. Scrapper won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Scrapper will screen on Tuesday, July 25 at 7:00 PM. Tickets to the VAFF screening are $13 adult; $11 student, child, and senior; and available purchase at violetcrown.com. Ting Internet will be on hand before the screening with giveaways, raffles, and a free popcorn voucher for attendees.

Fremont, a dry comedy, tells the story of beautiful and troubled 20-something Donya, an Afghan translator who used to work with the U.S. government, who has trouble sleeping. She lives by herself in Fremont, California, in a building with other Afghan immigrants and often dines alone at a local restaurant watching soap operas. Her routine changes when she is promoted to writing the fortunes at her job at a fortune cookie factory in the city. As her fortunes are read by strangers throughout the Bay, Donya’s smoldering longing drives her to send a message out to the world, unsure where it will lead.

Shot in black and white, and with warmth and a wry sense of humor, director Babak Jalali has crafted a loving portrait of a young woman haunted by the past but still filled with desire for companionship and connection. Featuring a cast of unforgettable, unique characters including The Bear breakout star Jeremy Allen White, and anchored by a beguiling debut performance from real-life Afghan refugee Anaita Wali Zada, Fremont is an ode to the curious beauty of trying to build a new life in a strange land.

Fremont will screen on Tuesday, August 22 at 7:00 PM. Lead actor Anaita Wali Zada will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A. Tickets will go on sale in late July.

The 36th Annual Virginia Film Festival will take place from October 25-29, 2023, in Charlottesville. For more information on VAFF and its year-round programs, visit virginiafilmfestival.org. The 2023 Virginia Film Festival is presented by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

The Virginia Film Festival is a program of the University of Virginia, with support from the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts.