Sudan announced on Tuesday the nomination of the film (Goodbye Julia), written and directed by Mohamed Kordofani, to compete for the Academy Award for Best International Film within the 96th session of the most famous awards in the field of cinema.
The film’s events take place in Khartoum, shortly before South Sudan’s independence from its north, where a former singer tries to cleanse herself of the sin of killing a southern man by hosting his widow in her home and hiring her as a maid to help her.
The National Committee for Selection of the Sudanese Film Nominated for the Oscar said in a statement on its Facebook page, “More than half of the committee members convened to accept nominations and select the Sudanese film, despite the bloody circumstances that the country has been going through since last April 15.”
She added, “The committee considered that the outbreak of war should not be an obstacle to male and female artists, especially male and female filmmakers, to exercise their rights to work and creativity, represent the name of Sudan in international forums, and contribute effectively to reflecting a different image of war and destruction.”
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Earlier this month, the committee formed in 2020 by decision of the Ministry of Culture announced that it had succeeded in “reuniting 10 of its members to begin their work and begin considering films that meet the nomination requirements.”
The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces the preliminary list of films accepted for the Best International Picture Oscar competition in December, while the short list is issued in January.
The Oscars announcement and distribution ceremony will be held on March 10, 2024, in Los Angeles, USA.
