TYPE
Feature Narrative
TOTAL BUDGET
US $500,000
CONFIRMED FINANCING
US $109,300
CONTACT
amjad.film@gmail.com
Just before the separation of South Sudan, a retired singer from the North, struggling with her marriage, seeks redemption for causing the death of a southern man by offering his oblivious wife a job as a maid.
Just prior to the separation of South Sudan, Muna, an upper-middle-class retired singer from the North, struggling with her marriage, seeks redemption for causing the death of a southern man by offering his oblivious wife Julia a job as a maid.
To keep anyone from exposing her secret, Muna finds herself forced to continue lying. Despite the dishonesty and the guilt, Muna develops a strange friendship with Julia. When Julia joins a church-affiliated school for adults, she meets Joseph, a radical separatist soldier who helps her solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearance.
Through all of my films, I have been diligently focused on social issues with a political background, since politics profoundly shape our social behaviors and vice versa. I believe cinema can—and should—be the mirror in which we see the flaws we try to hide or normalize within our societies.
The South Sudan separation was a direct result of the racism, classism, and religious prejudice that we, the Arab Muslim northerners, unapologetically practiced for decades. It is time for the oppressors in Sudan—and around the world—to recognize their false privilege and let go of it. This project is an attempt to uncover the real reasons behind the separation and blow the whistle before the Darfur region separates. It also touches on the toxic masculinity of our society.
This film is a social drama and thriller with a minimalistic visual style. The tone of realism, as well as the concept of good-vs-good conflict, was inspired by the works of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, and the political context can be referenced to Ziad Doueiri’s The Insult.
The film was instantly selected by Station Films upon reading the treatment. It was clear to us that this was the right film to make in Sudan, now that almost 10 years have elapsed since the separation of the South. The thing that caught our attention was the social element as a reason for the separation, rather than the usual political approach. Our target now is to reach out for co-production as part of a plan to revive the Sudanese cinema. We started with our feature film, You Will Die at Twenty, which secured a coproduction from Germany (ARRI, Berlinale World Cinema Fund) Norway (SorFund), and France (CNC).
Goodbye Julia is planned to follow similar steps of expansion with new partners and local investors. With the same local crew that was hand-picked and trained for our first film, Goodbye Julia is expected to enjoy a smoother journey.
At this stage, we are working with the director to tailor the best steps for developing the script. This includes a trip to South Sudan. Although the film will be entirely shot in Khartoum, spending time there will give the director more depth and a better understanding of the Southerners’ side of the story. In parallel, Kordofani will start working with Sudanese social and political experts and international script doctors. This is in addition to his participation in scriptwriting workshops around the world to connect with other filmmakers, getting valuable feedback and assistance for what we believe is a very promising project.
AMJAD ABU ALALA
2019: You Will Die at Twenty
2009: Teena
2007: Coffee and Oranges
2004: Birds Feathers
MOHAMMED ALOMDA
2019: You Will Die at Twenty
2016: Nyerkuk