Goodbye Julia from Sudan leads nominations for Critics Awards for Arab Films with eight

The ceremony will take place on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival

Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous prelude to South Sudan's 2011 secession, Goodbye Julia has garnered acclaim. Photo: Station Films

Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani's feature film debut, Goodbye Julia, leads nominations for the prestigious Critics Awards for Arab Films with a total of eight.

Overseen by the Arab Cinema Centre in Cairo and adjudicated by 209 critics from 72 countries, the awards will be given to winners during a gala ceremony on May 18 on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival.

Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous prelude to South Sudan's 2011 secession, Goodbye Julia has garnered acclaim for its timely exploration of morality and reconciliation. The film is also the first from Sudan to be screened as part of Cannes Film Festival's official selection.

It tells the story of the relationship between two women from contrasting backgrounds – one from the north, the other from the south. Fate brings the two together as they witness the real-life events of 2011 unravel.

Saudi film Hajjan has also earned six nominations. Photo: Ithra

Goodbye Julia's eight nominations include best feature and best director. Actresses Eiman Yousif and Nazar Goma, who play the lead characters, have also been recognised for their performances.

Other frontrunners include Jordanian Amjad Al Rasheed's dark social comedy Inshallah a Boy, Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania's hybrid documentary-drama Four Daughters and Abu Bakr Shawky’s Saudi film Hajjan, all of which scored six nominations. Tunisian actress Hend Sabry nabbed two nominations in the same category, Best Actress, for Kira & El Gin and Four Daughters.

Films from Egypt, Syria and Palestine were also nominated. All nominees were films that had their premiere at an international festival outside the Arab world in 2023.

Previous winners of the coveted best film award at the annual ceremony include Tamer El Said’s The Last Days Of The City, Omar El Zohairy’s Feathers and Ahmed Yassin Aldaradji’s Hanging Gardens.