GOODBYE JULIA rakes in more than EGP 1m at Egypt's box office

release date November 01 2023

Mohamed Kordofani's Sudanese drama GOODBYE JULIA broke another milestone in its first commercial outing, grossing EGP 1.02m in revenues one week after its historic October 25th Egyptian premiere, outperforming blockbusters like Martin Scorcese’s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON in the country’s box office.

Most recently, the winner of the Un Certain Regard’s Freedom Prize at Cannes saw an exponential increase in its already widespread popularity when demand across the country for more screenings reached new heights, expanding the film’s reach from an initial nine screens to an impressive and ever-growing 26, with over 13,000 tickets sold in its first week. What’s equally impressive is the film’s admirable upward momentum, since its seventh day in theaters has been its most successful so far.

The film is also set for a wider release across the Arab World soon, with the film expected to hit the GCC before being released throughout the region. Additionally, GOODBYE JULIA is slated to release in France on November 8th through its French distributor ARP Sélection.

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.

Previously, the film was named Sudan's official submission for Best Foreign Film at the 96th Academy Awards. It also won Best African Film at the Septimius Awards, where it was in the running for Best African Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Soundtrack as well.

Moreover, GOODBYE JULIA has been selected by more than 30 festivals worldwide so far, including Karlovy Vary, BFI London, Melbourne, Vancouver, Warsaw, and most recently Chicago, where it won the Roger Ebert Award.

GOODBYE JULIA stars Eiman Yousif, Siran Riak — the former Ms. South Sudan — Nazar Goma, and Ger Duany; is written and directed by Kordofani; and produced by Station Films’ acclaimed Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala — the director of Sudan’s first-ever submission to the Academy Awards YOU WILL DIE AT TWENTY — in collaboration with producer Mohamed Al-Omda, who co-produced Yemen’s Berlin International Film Festival selection THE BURDENED, Yemen’s official entry to the Academy Awards this year.