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In Goodbye Julia, which takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan, two women — one from the North, the other from the South — are brought together by fate. The film marks the first feature for the film's writer and director Mohamed "Mo" Kordofani but also a groundbreaking first time ever a film from the Sudan has been selected for Un Certain Regard, the Official Selection's section for discoveries in Cannes.
The film is produced by acclaimed Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala, whose You Will Die at Twenty was a bit hit in Venice in 2019 and went on to win accolades as well as audiences around the world.
These days, while the world media goes on and on about Ukraine, the country of Sudan has also been experiencing terrible times. This makes Goodbye Julia a very timely watch as the film deals with the devastating consequences of a murder and how it actually manages to bring together the South Sudanese widow of the deceased, Julia, along with his son, and Mona, a retired singer from North Sudan stuck in a tense marriage.
If only we could really learn from the movies!
Recognizing the film's worth, just ahead of its Cannes premiere the Paris-based distributor ARP Sélection announced it had snapped up the timely Sudanese drama in Variety.
Goodbye Julia stars Eiman Yousif, Siran Riak, Nazar Gomaa, Ger Duany, Stephanos James Peter and is being sold worldwide by Mad Solutions.
