Goodbye Julia

In the years leading up to the secession of South Sudan, a tragic incident brings two unlikely strangers together.

Wracked with guilt after her involvement in the tragic death of a man, Mona, a retired singer from northern Sudan tries to make amends by taking the deceased’s southern Sudanese widow, Julia, and her son into her Khartoum home.

Hiding the truth from Julia, Mona decides to leave the past behind her unaware that the country’s turmoil may find its way into her home and upset the new status quo.

Curator's Note

Unresolved tensions and trauma in pre-secession Sudan manifest as secrets, lies and domestic drama in Mohamed Kordofani's feature film debut as director. Not only a first for Kordofani, the film was also the first Sudanese film to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Goodbye Julia competed in the Un Certain Regard section where the film received the Freedom Prize - a special award given to the film best speaks to our sacred right to freedom.

– Reece Goodwin, Curator (Film & TV)