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“Goodbye Julia”

a film by Mohamed Kordofani

Wracked by guilt after covering up a murder, Mona - a northern Sudanese retired singer in a tense marriage - tries to make amends by taking 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.

Director: Mohamed Kordofani

Mohamed Kordofani, an aircraft engineer turned filmmaker. His short film “Nyerkuk” won the Black Elephant Award for Best Sudanese Film in 2017 and the NAAS Award for Best Arab Film at Carthage Film Festival (JCC) among other accolades. In 2021, he co-founded Klozium Studios in Sudan and was commissioned by former Sudanese prime minister, Abdallah Hamadok, to make a short film to promote Sudan's potentials for tourism and investment. “Goodbye Julia” is his debut film which premiered in Cannes film festival and won the Freedom Award in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival.

Cinematographer: Pierre de Villiers SASC

Pierre de Villiers is a visual artist who curiously explores the human experience through his work. As a cinematographer, he has worked across the African continent, in Europe, the USA and parts of Asia. The films he has DP’d have screened at the likes of Venice, Sundance, IFFR, Locarno, Berlin and Carthage and his work has been profiled in the American Cinematographer magazine. In 2020, his feature film “This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection” won the Jury Prize for Visionary Filmmaking at Sundance and went on to win a further 32 international awards, 3 of which were for Best Cinematography. The film was also Lesotho’s first-ever Oscars submission. Pierre is a 2020 Berlinale Talents Camera Studio alumnus.

Production Notes

  • Produced by: Station Films (Sudan)
  • In co-production with: Red Star Films (Egypt), Die Gesellschaft DGS (Germany), Klozium Studios    (Sudan), Dolce Vita Films (France), Cinewaves Films (Saudi Arabia), Ambient Light (Egypt), CULT (Egypt),  Red Sea Festival Foundation (Saudi Arabia), MAD Solutions (Egypt), CANAL+ International
  • Shooting location: Khartoum; Sudan
  • Camera: ALEXA Mini LF
  • Lenses: ARRI Rental DNA LF
  • Lighting: SkyPanel, M-Series
  • Camera and lighting equipment serviced by: ARRI Rental Germany and Ambient Light for Rent Cairo
  • World premiere: International Cannes Film Festival, Un Certain Regard, 2023

Official Trailer "Goodbye Julia"

GJ-first-Trailer (Thumbnail)

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Goodbye Julia