Lupita Nyong’o has signed on as an executive producer for “Goodbye Julia”, a film representation of the conflict in Sudan.
Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s debut feature, Goodbye Julia, is the first-ever Sudanese feature to screen at the Cannes Film Festival under the Un Certain Regard section.
“Goodbye Julia is a powerful representation of the conflict happening in Sudan right now, which affects millions of lives across Eastern Africa. Mohamed Kordofani and the filmmakers present the issues in a beautiful, deeply personal way. I’m honored to lend my voice to help bring this film’s message to the world,” Hollywood-based Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Sudan has selected the film as its second-ever Academy Awards submission for best international feature film.
“Goodbye Julia” takes place in Khartoum during the last years of Sudan as a united country before the region returned to a deeper conflict in 2023.
The film centers around two women whose friendship represents the complicated relationship and contrasts between the southern and northern Sudanese communities.
The plot thickens as a former singer seeks redemption for causing the death of a southern man by hiring his wife to be her maid.
Sudanese model Siran Riak makes her big-screen acting debut alongside A-list actor Eiman Yousif and South Sudanese activist Ger Duany.
“Goodbye Julia” has earned accolades at Chicago, Cyprus, France’s Festival Paysages de Cineastes, Amsterdam’s Septimius Awards, and Barcelona’s War on Screen.
The film is already a huge success, scoring a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes as it premiered at Cannes just weeks after fighting broke out in Khartoum due to a clash between rival generals. This bloodbath took the lives of 5,000 people and displaced seven million people.
Actress Lupita Nyong’o broke into the movie industry after her powerful role in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave. She went on to more accomplishments, including playing Nakia in Black Panther.
