It is a story about two women who represent the complicated relationship and differences between Northern and Southern Sudanese communities.
BFI London Film Festival will screen the Sudanese drama Goodbye Julia, the winner of the Cannes Film Festival‘s Un Certain Regard Freedom Prize. The festival is scheduled to run from October 4 to 15, 2023.
Mohamed Kordofani’s debut feature Goodbye Julia will compete for the Audience Award and various other high-profile accolades. The film will have two screenings: the first is on Saturday, October 14, at 5:10 pm at Curzon Soho 1, followed by the second screening on Sunday, October 15, at the same time slot at BFI NFT2.
In addition to its participation in the BFI London Film Festival, Goodbye Julia will also feature in the Septimius Awards, scheduled from September 25 to 26. The film is in contention in several categories, including Best African Actress (which both Eiman Yousif and Siran Riak are in the running for), Best African Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Soundtrack.
Previously, Goodbye Julia was featured at the Horizons Section of the 2023 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
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.
Goodbye Julia features Eiman Yousif, Siran Riak, Nazar Goma, and Ger Duany. The film is both written and directed by Mohamed Kordofani, with production handled by Amjad Abu Alala from Station Films in collaboration with Mohamed Al-Omda. Worldwide sales and distribution are managed by MAD Solutions.
The film is co-produced by Baho Bakhsh and Safei Eldin Mahmoud (Red Star Films), Michael Henrichs (Die Gesellschaft), Khaled Awad and Mohamed Kordofani (Klozium Studios), Marc Irmer (Dolce Vita), Faisal Baltyuor (Cinewaves Films), Ali El-Arabi (Ambient Light), Adham El-Sherif (CULT), and Issraa Elkogali Häggström (RiverFlower).
Goodbye Julia received the MAD Ergo award at the CineGouna SpringBoard during the fourth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival. It also secured the 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, the film won the Malmö Arab Film Festival’s award for Best Project In Development and garnered support from the Red Sea Fund in Saudi Arabia and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) in Beirut.
