KHARTOUM – Based on a dramatic narrative portraying the pain of separation, the Sudanese movie, ‘Goodbye Julia’ succeeded in transcending the ordeal of war to embark on an exciting journey of winning awards.

The genre of the movie is drama with a suspense element added, inspired by realism (cinematic realism), highlighting the various aspects of Sudanese culture that have not been previously showcased on the cinema screen.

The movie tells the story of Mona, a northern Sudanese retired singer in a tense marriage, wracked by guilt after covering up a murder, who tries to make amends by taking in the deceased’s southern Sudanese widow Julia and her son Daniel into her home.

It takes place in Khartoum during the last years of Sudan as a united country, shortly before the 2011 separation of Southern Sudan, and the desire of Sudanese people to live in peace away from conflicts.

The movie has won 25 Arab and International awards, including the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 27th Sonoma International Film Festival in California.

The movie also won the 2023 Cannes Film Festival’s Freedom Prize, the Septimius Awards’ Best African Film, the Robert Ebert Award in the Chicago International Film Festival, Al-Gouna Film Festival Cinema for Humanity prize, Luxor African Film Festival’s Best Film Award and won at the Baghdad International Film Festival in Iraq.

The Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden announced that ‘Goodbye Julia’ will open the 14th Malmo Arab Film Festival which is scheduled to be held from April 22 to 28, 2024.

The movie’s producer Amjad Abu Al-Ula told KUNA that the conditions which the movie was filmed and produced under were difficult because of the political and security situation in Sudan, four months before the outbreak of the war.

He added that in light of the situation in Sudan, they sought joint external production, noting that Sudanese Cinema and cinematic production have greatly progressed in the last five years.

On his part, movie director Mohammad Kordofani told KUNA that he wished the movie to be shown in Sudan. Movies, he added, affect people and make them rush to theatres to see a movie produced by their country.

Art should not be stopped, postponed or cancelled, stressed Kordofani, as it is needed now more than ever in the current circumstances of the world, and concluded by saying that without art people would succumb and die of despair rather than bullets.

On the future of Sudanese Cinema, Abu Al-Ula believes that it depends on Sudan’s fate, pointing out that cinematic production relies on filming and producing current war stories in safe areas in countries that have similar setting to Sudan, to gurantee the safety of crewmembers.

‘Goodbye Julia’ is a joint production between Sudan, Sweden, Germany, Saudi Arabia, France, and Egypt, and was written and directed by Mohammad Kordofani, produced by Abu Al-Ula, and the cast includes Eiman Yousif, Siran Riak, Nazar Gomaa and Ger Duany.