The film is produced by Amjad Abu Alala’s Station Films and co-produced by Ali Alarabi, CEO and founder of Ambient Light.
Mexican-Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o has joined forces with Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani as an executive producer for his feature debut, Goodbye Julia, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter.
With a total of ten awards now to its name, Goodbye Julia has been chosen as Sudan’s official submission for the Best Foreign Feature category at the 2024 Academy Awards. The film’s remarkable journey continued as it achieved a milestone with EGP 1.02m ($0.033m) in box office revenues just one week after its historic Egyptian premiere on October 25.
Earlier this year, Goodbye Julia became the first-ever Sudanese feature to grace the screens of the Cannes Film Festival. It also won the Cannes Film Festival‘s Un Certain Regard Freedom Prize.
In a statement, Nyong’o said: “Goodbye Julia is a powerful representation of the conflict happening in Sudan right now, which affects millions of lives across Eastern Africa. Mohamed Kordofani and the filmmakers present the issues in a beautiful, deeply personal way. I’m honoured to lend my voice to help bring this film’s message to the world.”
Nyong’o stepped into the world of feature films with her debut performance in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, a role that earned her the prestigious Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Continuing her career trajectory, Nyong’o is set to grace the screen in Paramount’s upcoming horror franchise spinoff, A Quiet Place: Day One.
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).
Goodbye Julia has been recognised with several awards and grants, including the MAD Ergo award at the CineGouna SpringBoard during the El Gouna Film Festival. It also received the Best Film Project in the Development Phase award, a certificate from the El Gouna Cinema Platform, and the New Century Prize. Furthermore, the film was honoured at the Malmö Arab Film Festival with the award for Best Project In Development and received support from the Red Sea Fund in Saudi Arabia and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) in Beirut.
