Mohamed Kordofani’s GOODBYE JULIA to become first Sudanese film at Cannes

Mohamed Kordofani’s upcoming feature film GOODBYE JULIA is making waves in the industry right now after it was announced that it has been selected to compete in the Cannes International Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard Section, going down in history as the first Sudanese film to feature in the French powerhouse festival. Kordofani himself will also be the first Sudanese director to walk the festival’s carpet.

GOODBYE JULIA follows the story of Mona — a northern Sudanese retired singer in a tense marriage — who is wracked by guilt after covering up a murder. In an attempt to make amends, she takes in the deceased’s southern Sudanese widow, Julia, and her son, Daniel, into her home.

Unable to confess her transgressions to Julia, Mona decides to leave the past behind and adjust to a new status quo, unaware that the country’s turmoil may find its way into her home and put her face to face with her sins.

The film stars Eiman Yousif, Siran Riak — the former Ms. Sudan — Nazar Goma, and Ger Duany, is written and directed by Kordofani, and produced by Station Films’ acclaimed Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala — the director of Sudan’s first-ever submission to the Academy Awards YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY — in collaboration with Mohamed Al-Omda.

“GOODBYE JULIA is an attempt to shed light on the social factors and the forces that led to South Sudan's secession. By addressing these grievances, one hopes that both parties can one day find a way to reconcile their differences and maybe rebuild the bridges that were razed in the separation,” said film director Kordofani.

Commenting on the announcement confirming his film’s selection for the festival, he also said: “I am exceptionally excited for everyone to see the film at Cannes. I am also brimming with pride that I got to work with this talented crew, without which, we would not be celebrating the selection of the first Sudanese film in Cannes in history.”

Kordofani is a Sudanese filmmaker whose short film NYERKUK won the Black Elephant Award for Best Sudanese Film, NAAS Award for Best Arab Film at the Carthage Film Festival, Jury Award at the Oran International Arab Film Festival, and Arnone-Belavite Pellegrini Award at the FCAAA in Milan.

His second short KEJERS PRISON was screened during the Sudanese revolution at the sit-in square in front of thousands of protesters, and his documentary A TOUR IN LOVE REPUBLIC was the first pro-revolution film to be broadcasted on Sudan's national TV.

His latest work was a film commissioned by Sudan’s former prime minister Abdallah Hamdok to promote Sudan's potential for investment.

Meanwhile, when asked about his perspective on the matter, the film’s producer Abu Alala said: “This is a monumental moment in the history of Sudanese cinema and my own. I was drawn to GOODBYE JULIA from the beginning of its pre-production phase and was simply blown away by what it set out to achieve in terms of its vision and story. And now that we’re at this point, it’s clear that I bet my money on the right horse.”

“After the success of YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY, I decided that everything I would do beyond that point would be for the sole purpose of elevating Sudanese cinema to new heights and marketing it more effectively to the rest of the world. Me and my compatriots — some of whom I’ve worked with on GOODBYE JULIA — are adamant that we achieve this end and tell these stories from a part of the world that is often overlooked.”

YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY won the Lion of the Future Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film in Venice and the El Gouna Golden Star for Best Film among others. The film was also Sudan’s first-ever submission to the Oscars.

A true example of Arab-European collaboration, GOODBYE JULIA is co-produced by Egyptian producers Baho Bakhsh and Safei Eldin Mahmoud, Sudanese producer Khaled Awad, German producer Michael Hendricks, French producer Marc Irmer, Saudi producer Faisal Baltyuor, Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani, Sudanese Swedish producer Issraa Elkogali Häggström, and Egyptian producers Ali El Arabi and Adham El Sherif.

Commenting on the film’s pioneering journey to the big leagues, Founders of MAD Solutions Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab said: “After years of stagnation, the Sudanese film industry seems to be experiencing a moment of unrestrained rebirth, with several talented filmmakers with invaluable stories making their presence known in the scene. GOODBYE JULIA is a universal film that we believe will resonate with all. Especially in these times when talk of reconciliation is so prevalent in the zeitgeist.”

Contributing to the conversation, Head of Sales and Acquisitions at MAD Solutions Meriame Deghedi said: “When we established MAD Distribution, we did it out of an urgency to shed light on films that tell the stories that most global audiences don’t have access to. From its inception, MAD Solutions as a whole set the goal of building cultural and artistic bridges that connect the Arab world with the rest of the globe at the forefront of its growth strategy.”

“GOODBYE JULIA tells a story of a transgressor desperate to reconcile with those they’ve wronged. A story of growth and redemption not out of need or self-righteousness, but out of a moral and human obligation to face our wrongs and make a conscious effort to do better. It is the kind of story that we here at MAD believe is crucial to tell. While the film focuses on one community in particular, we believe that its core concepts are universal, which is usually a tell-tale sign of a great cinematic experience.”

Previously, GOODBYE JULIA won the MAD Solutions’ award at the CineGouna SpringBoard that was held at the fourth El Gouna Film Festival, Best Film Project in the Development Phase ($15,000), a certificate from the El Gouna Cinema Platform, and the New Century Prize ($10,000).

Additionally, GOODBYE JULIA won the Malmö Arab Film Festival’s award for Best Project In Development and received financial support from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fund and Beirut’s Arab Fund for Arts and Culture.

The film will soon be screening in the Cannes International Film Festival — which will be running from May 16th to the 27th — where it will be competing in the Un Certain Regard section.