Cannes Film Festival announces the screening date for Mohamed Kordofani’s GOODBYE JULIA

Recently, the Cannes Film Festival announced that Mohamed Kordofani’s Sudanese drama GOODBYE JULIA — the first Sudanese picture and director to be selected for Cannes in history — is set to hold its world premiere on May 20th at 2 pm at Théâtre Claude Debussy, with the film’s cast and crew set to attend the historical screening.

Following that, the film is set to have one more screening at the same venue on the 21st at 8:30 am, followed by a screening on the same day at Cineum IMAX at 11:15 am and another on the 22nd at Cineum Screen X in the same time slot.

Additionally, the film is expected to hold two market screenings — one on May 17th at 12 pm at PALAIS I, and another on the 22nd at 1:45 pm at PALAIS H.

Director Mohamed Kordofani and producers Amjad Abu Alala — the director of Sudan’s first-ever submission to the Academy Awards YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY — and Mohamed Al-Omda, who produced Amr Gamal’s critically-acclaimed movie THE BURDENED and the film's editor Heba Othman, as well as the film's DOP Pierre de Villiers, are set to attend the screening.

Among the main cast members are the film's two main heroines, Eiman Yousif and Siran Riak, as well as the well-known Ger Duany and the Co-Founders of MAD Solutions, Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, and the company’s Head of Sales & Acquisitions Meriame Deghedi are set to make an appearance as well.

The screening will also be attended by co-producers Baho Bakhsh (Red Star Films), Michael Henrichs (DGS), Khaled Awad (Klozium), Marc Irmer (Dolce Vita), Faisal Baltyuor (Cinewaves Films), Ali Elarabi (Ambient Light), and Issraa Elkogali Häggström (Riverflower).

Meanwhile, the worldwide sales of GOODBYE JULIA are being handled by MAD Solutions while the French distributor ARP Sélection - Le Cinéma que J'aime is handling the movie’s sales in France.

ARP Sélection is known for various prominent films, such as EO — which premiered at Cannes and won the Jury Prize — Oscar-winning movie THE WHALE, NOSTALGIA, BRIGHTON 4TH, and BEAU IS AFRAID.

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.

Previously, GOODBYE JULIA won MAD Solutions’ Grant 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, a Mentorship Prize from the IEFTA, and the New Century Prize ($10,000).

It also won the Malmö Arab Film Festival’s award for Best Project In Development and received financial support from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fund, the Paris Region, ARRI, and Film und Medienstiftung NRW.