The film is produced by Amjad Abu Alala’s Station Films and co-produced by Ali Alarabi, CEO and founder of Ambient Light.
Mohamed Kordofani’s debut drama feature, Goodbye Julia, secured the Audience Choice Award at the closing ceremony of the Singapore International Film Festival, held from November 30th to December 10th.
Recently, Vox Cinemas has partnered with MENA region distribution giant MAD Solutions to launch the film across 57 theatres in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain on Thursday, December 7, as part of its GCC-wide release. The strategic partnership aims to extend the reach of Goodbye Julia, which has already gained critical acclaim and garnered awards at international film festivals.
Selected as Sudan’s official submission for the Best Foreign Feature category at the 2024 Academy Awards, Goodbye Julia is set to reach audiences in the UAE on December 14.
Commenting on the partnership, Toni El-Massih, Managing Director of Cinemas at Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment, said: “Vox Cinemas is committed to illuminating compelling stories on the big screen, and we are proud to collaborate with MAD Solutions once again to bring Goodbye Julia to cinemas across the GCC. Having gained critical acclaim and amassed multiple awards at prestigious international film festivals, we are confident that this poignant human drama will captivate audiences across the region.”
Co-founders of MAD Solutions Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab added: “We’re really happy we’re partnering with VoxCinemas on Goodbye Julia. With them on our side, we will be able to offer this great Sudanese drama to audiences throughout the Gulf and beyond.
“Vox Cinemas’ support and cooperation have been vital to the film’s success so far, allowing it to have a deep impact on audiences and break new ground in Arab filmmaking. We’re excited to see what else we can achieve together.”
Goodbye Julia is slated to be featured twice at the sixth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival, running from December 14 to 21. The film will be showcased on December 16 at Festival Plaza and on December 20 at Campus El Gouna AudiMax in the presence of its cast and crew.
The film, which enjoyed a historic commercial release in Egypt on October 25, set a record for the highest revenues ever for an Arab film at the Egyptian box office, accumulating over EGP 3m during its seven-week run.
Having already made its mark at esteemed festivals such as Cannes, Chicago, Belfast, Leeds, Cyprus, and Canada’s Muslim Film Festivals, Goodbye Julia continues to shine, securing a total of 18 awards.
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 features Eiman Yousif, Siran Riak, Nazar Goma, and Ger Duany. Written and directed by Mohamed Kordofani, Goodbye Julia is produced by Amjad Abu Alala of Station Films in collaboration with Mohamed Al-Omda. Worldwide sales and distribution are managed by MAD Solutions.
Co-producers of the film include 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).
