“A ceaseless cycle of conflict looms, as tomorrow inevitably ushers in another bout of war,” says a character in Goodbye Julia, marking a historic cinematic milestone as the first-ever Sudanese film to grace the esteemed platform of the Cannes Film Festival.
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As the glimmering red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival stood in stark contrast to the grim reality plaguing Sudan, Mohamed Kordofani, the director of the debut feature Goodbye Julia, candidly tackled the inherent contradiction.
Photo credit : Loic Venance / AFP
Kordofani, hailing from a nation ravaged by the scourge of conflict, expressed his “contradictory feelings” about the lavish grandeur of Cannes while his compatriots in Sudan reel under the impact of relentless bombings. Presently marooned at Cannes, the former aircraft engineer turned filmmaker humorously conceded his predicament. However, the jovial tone quickly sobered as he articulated his profound dismay at the tumultuous state of his homeland. With despair evident in his voice, he proclaimed, “The bombing needs to stop.”
Kordofani’s film, Goodbye Julia, made a powerful impact as it competed in the Un Certain Regard section, which champions burgeoning and inventive talent at Cannes.
The narrative of the film unfolds in 2005, following a round of strife between Khartoum and the separatist south, ultimately leading to the independence of South Sudan in 2011. The movie elucidates the tale of Julia, a woman from southern Sudan, whose life becomes entwined with Mona, a woman from northern Sudan, and her domineering conservative spouse, after a concealed homicide. The intricate relationship between Julia and Mona offers a raw exposition of the pervading racism between Arabs and black Africans, a sinister specter that haunts the Middle East and North Africa. Mona’s husband’s derogatory references to southerners as “slaves” and “savages” compel Mona to confront her inherent prejudice, with the narrative also examining the dynamics of gender roles. The film emerges from Kordofani’s introspective journey, as he disclosed, “I started to review how I was behaving in my previous relationships. I reviewed my own racism.”
Kordofani openly acknowledged the deep-seated bias in Sudan as well as his personal struggle to overcome it. While racism may not be the crux of Sudan’s ongoing turmoil, Kordofani emphasized the poignant relevance of his film’s message. As Sudan teeters from one shattered ceasefire to another, its denizens huddle with scarce resources, amplifying the urgency for transformation.
“I don’t think the war will end unless we change. We the people, not the government. We need to be equal and we need to be inclusive, and we need to learn to coexist,” the director asserted. Critics have acclaimed Goodbye Julia as “a gut-wrenching and emotionally rewarding tale” embodied in “shades of a thriller” and showcasing “fine direction.”
With AFP
