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Mohamed Kordofani

Mohamed Kordofani (Arabic: محمد كردفاني, born in Khartoum) is a Sudanese film director and screenwriter, who lives in Bahrain and worked as an aviation engineer. He became internationally known for his first feature film Goodbye Julia in 2023. It was the first film from Sudan ever to be presented at the Cannes Film Festival. Among awards from other international festivals, Goodbye Julia won the Prix de la Liberté (Freedom Award) at the 2023 Cannes film festival and has since been shown internationally. Further, it was selected by the Sudanese National Committee operating in exile to compete for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.[1]

Life and career

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Originally Kordofani worked as a full-time aviation engineer and only later turned to making videos and short films as a part-time activity. A largely self-taught filmmaker, Kordofani started his own company Kordofani Films in 2014, producing music videos, promotional films and event coverage to financially sustain his activities as a filmmaker.[2]

He was distinguished as best director with the Taharqa International Award for Arts for his 2015 short film Gone for Gold. His second short film, Nyerkuk (2016),[2] received several distinctions, including the Network of Alternative Arab Screens (NAAS) Award at the Carthage Film Festival, the Jury Award at the Oran International Arabic Film Festival, and the Black Elephant Award of the Sudan Independent Film Festival.[3] His next short film, Kejer's Prison, was shot in a Khartoum prison. It presents a 13-minute monologue of a frantic soldier who "attempts to justify the military officers’ violent actions against peaceful protesters."[4]

In an interview about his films, Kordofani said: “I make films for regular viewers. I use some dramatic components such as crime and suspense".[5]

Goodbye Julia, his first feature film, tells a dramatic story before the 2011 separation of Sudan and South Sudan, with “racism, classicism and the many divisions between Sudanese people” as major social themes. These contrasts are depicted in the main characters and their families: Mona, a Sudanese Arab and Muslim housewife and former popular singer, belongs to Sudan’s upper-middle-class, while Julia, a Christian woman of southern Sudanese African origin, belongs to an underprivileged community and lives in a poor neighbourhood of the capital.[5]

Having been awarded several production grants, Goodbye Julia was the first film from Sudan ever to be presented in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. The premiere screening before an audience of 1,000 spectators and the following post-premiere Questions & Answers with the cast and crew, including comments on the ongoing 2023 Sudan conflict, received standing ovations.[6][7]

Commenting on the new generation of Sudanese filmmakers, such as the co-producers of Goodbye Julia, Amjad Abu Alala and Mohamed Alomda, as well as the history of cinema in Sudan, Kordofani said:

Today’s developments and topics tackled by the Sudanese up-and-coming filmmakers do not come out of the blue; they are a result of many facts accumulated over past decades. Going back half a century, we will find many important cinematic gems that contributed greatly to Sudanese cinema history.

— Mohamed Kordofani, Sudanese filmmaker

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Melanie Goodfellow (27 September 2023). "Oscars: Sudan Submits 'Goodbye Julia' For Best International Feature Film". Deadline. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Nyerkuk: the Latest by Kordofani Films by Ola Diab". Andariya. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  3. ^ Lora-Mungai, Marie; Pimenta, Pedro (2021). "The African film industry. Trends, challenges and opportunities for growth". UNESCO. p. 230. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  4. ^ "5 Sudanese Filmmakers Making International Headlines". 500 Words Magazine. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b Metwali, Ati (14 June 2023). "Sudan: Interview with award-winning 'Goodbye Julia' director Mohamed Kordofani". The Africa Report. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  6. ^ Rosser, Michael. "MAD Solutions moves into sales with Cannes' first Sudanese title 'Goodbye Julia' (exclusive)". Screen. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Sudan's debut at Cannes: Goodbye Julia premieres to standing ovation - Screens - Arts & Culture". Ahram Online. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Kejer's Prison". Mena Prison Forum. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Goodbye Julia, first film by Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani, Prix de la Liberté at Cannes". www.sortiraparis.com. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
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