Sudanese film is breaking barriers. Goodbye Julia, the debut feature from Mohamed Kordofani, has been selected to screen at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, a milestone for Sudan, marking the country’s first ever selection to the renowned fest.
The film is produced by award-winning filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala (You Will Die at 20), who shared his excitement on Instagram.
“Produced by me and Mohammed Alomd’a through Sudanese Company Station Films with great co-production and amazing partners who believed in the film for years.”
Read more about Abu Alala, whose film became the country’s first ever Oscar submission, in my 2020 profile here.
Goodbye Julia: The latest film milestone from Sudan
The film is set in Khartoum before Sudan was divided into two countries in 2011. The story dives into the divides between the two populations, following women from both the north and south–one a retired singer who is racked with guilt for causing a man’s death, another a maid offered a job by the singer, the widow of the man whose demise she feels responsible for.
“I consider Goodbye Julia a call for reconciliation and a spotlight on the social dynamics that led to the separation of the South,” Kordofani tells Screen Daily.
“Being part of the first-ever official selection of a Sudanese film in Cannes is heartwarming and very promising for this new wave of cinema.”
the film stars Eiman Yousif and Siran Riak. Riak is a supermodel who has never before acted in a film. Also in the film are Nazar Goma and Ger Duani.
“It’s a historical moment for us and for cinema in Sudan,” Alala told Screen Daily. “We are intent on building a real industry in Sudan and bringing international recognition to this land of untold stories.”
Alala felt unsure if he would ever be able to help his fellow Sudanese filmmakers accomplish these goals, he told me in 2020.
“I feel that people want me to top it,” he said at the time. “With all the success, all that’s written in the media has been saying that finally Sudanese cinema is back. This makes me feel afraid because I don’t have a guarantee for that. This was 100 per cent a personal effort.”
The film is represented by MAD Solutions.
Cannes this year will also feature the next film from Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2022.