Filmscreening
Spotlight Sudan: „Goodbye Julia“
Sudanese feature film followed by a Q&A
Since 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a renewed state of war, which has plunged the country into one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our time, forcing millions of Sudanese to flee and severely affecting the country's social and cultural landscape. Due to the escalating conflict, the Goethe-Institut in Sudan had to close its presence in Khartoum. It is now coordinating its cultural work from Cairo and continuing it through the Goethe-Institut in exile. With the Film Spotlight Sudan, the Goethe-Institut in Exile presents three Sudanese films from different genres and shows diverse perspectives on life in a country characterised by conflict and resilience.
Each film screening will be followed by a Q&A with Sudanese filmmakers who will provide insights into their work and the challenges of filmmaking in an environment threatened by ongoing conflict.
Goodbye Julia
Director: Mohamed Kordofani, Sudan, 2023, 120 min, Original version with English subtitles
Mona, a wealthy woman from northern Sudan, is responsible for the death of a man from southern Sudan. His widow Julia must now struggle to survive and care for her son. Plagued by guilt, Mona takes them both in, concealing her role in the death of Julia’s husband. As time passes, the seemingly unequal women begin to grow closer.
In his award-winning debut feature, Mohamed Kordofani delicately explores themes of guilt and redemption set against the turbulent backdrop of Sudan’s partition.
The film will be followed by a Q&A on the situation of women in Sudan, featuring co-producer Issraa E. Häggström.
Moderation: Muhammad Salah
Guest
Issraa El-Kogali Häggström is a multidisciplinary creator and Co-producer of Mohamed Kordofani’s fiction feature debut Goodbye Julia (winner of the Freedom Prize – Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival 2023). Her directorial debut was the award-winning documentary short, In Search of Hip Hop (2010, coproduced by the Goethe-Institut). After several short documentary films including the collaborative film project The two Sudans (2011), she developed the Ibsen Scholarship winning performance piece Nora’s Cloth (2013).
The award-winning short film A Handful of Dates (2020) was her first fiction film work, where she executive produced, and wrote the screenplay adaptation from the Arabic novel. A Handful of Dates won the Creative Achievement Award at Arizona International Film Festival 2021, and prestigious Award of Excellence from the international Best Shorts Competition, which recognizes film professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and contribute to profound social change.