CAA Takes North American Sales on ‘Goodbye Julia,’ First Sudanese Film in Cannes
CAA Media Finance has come on board to handle sales in North America on Mohamed Kordofani’s “Goodbye Julia,” the first film from Sudan to launch from the Cannes Film Festival.
CAA will be working in tandem with Egypt-based producer Ali El Arabi’s Ambient Light Films, which holds North American rights for the timely drama that premiered on May 21 in Un Certain Regard.
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“Goodbye Julia” takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan. It revolves around two women, one from the north, the other from the south, that are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities.
in an interview with Variety, Kordofani expressed the hope that his film “can be the start of a movement for reconciliation between all the Sudanese people” in the war-ravaged country.
Produced by fellow Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala — director of “You Will Die at 20,” which became Sudan’s first Oscar submission in 2020 — “Goodbye Julia” stars Eiman Yousif, model Siran Riak, a former Miss South Sudan, Nazar Goma and Ger Duany.
In a statement, El Arabi said, “It was important for Ambient Light to bring ‘Goodbye Julia’ to America for many reasons,” noting that “Sudanese stories are not often told or distributed in a large way in the American market.”
He went on to add that the film is “a powerful story that delves into many societal nuances and complexities.”
El Arabi is an Egyptian director and producer whose production and distribution company Ambient Light is based in Cairo and Los Angeles.
“Goodbye Julia” sales outside of North America are being handled by pan-Arab outfit Mad Solutions.
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