GOODBYE JULIA wins Audience Choice Award at SGIFF in parallel with GCC release

release date December 12 2023

The movie is also set to screen at the upcoming El Gouna Film Festival in the presence of its cast and crew

Mohamed Kordofani’s gripping debut Sudanese drama feature GOODBYE JULIA just won the Audience Choice Award at the closing ceremony of the Singapore International Film Festival, which ran November 30th to December 10th.

This comes hot on the tail of heavy-weight movie theater VOX Cinemas partnering with MENA region distribution giant MAD Solutions to screen the film in 57 theatres across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain on Thursday, December 7th as part of its GCC-wide release.

GOODBYE JULIA — which was selected as Sudan's official submission for Best Foreign Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards — is also expected to reach the UAE on December 14th.

Commenting on the partnership, Managing Director of Cinemas at Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment Toni El-Massih 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.”

“We’re really happy we’re partnering with VOX Cinemas 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,” added Co-Founders of MAD Solutions Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab.

“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.”

Additionally, the film is expected to screen twice in the presence of its cast and crew at the eagerly anticipated sixth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival, which will run from December 14th to the 21st — once at 9:30 pm on December 16th at Festival Plaza, and another at 9 pm on December 20th at Campus El Gouna AudiMax.

GOODBYE JULIA had a historic commercial release in Egypt on October 25th, with the film recording the highest revenues ever for an Arab film at the Egyptian box office, amassing over EGP 3m throughout its seven-week journey since then.

The film also recently held a high-profile press screening at Jeddah’s Red Sea Mall's VOX Cinema that glittered with the presence of esteemed A-list celebrities and influential public figures.

So far, GOODBYE JULIA has performed strongly throughout its festival run as well, garnering a whopping 18 awards from several high-profile festivals — including the Chicago, Belfast, Leeds, Cyprus, and Canada's Muslim Film Festivals, along with the Septimius Awards and the Mostra De Cinema Arab — after its historic world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Prix de Liberté (Freedom Prize).

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 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.