.jpg)
This year, you can watch all the films online for free or go out and see them in person at Ster-Kinekor cinemas in Joburg and Durban, and at The Labia in Cape Town. The celebratory 10th edition opens with the African-European film Goodbye Julia, set in Sudan, at Ster-Kinekor’s The Zone in Rosebank, Johannesburg on Oct 12, 2023.
Goodbye Julia is a remarkable six-country co-production between Sudan, Egypt, Germany, France, Sweden and Saudi-Arabia, and the first film from Sudan ever to be presented in the Un Certain Regard competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Prix de la Liberté (Freedom Award).
The film tells the story of two women who represent the complicated relationship and differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities. The multi-layered narrative takes place in Khartoum during the last years of Sudan as a united country, shortly before the 2011 separation of South Sudan.
A powerful directorial debut by the largely self-taught filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani, Goodbye Julia is backed by the superb cinematography of South African Pierre de Villiers and a moving musical score by Sudanese musician Mazin Hamid, recorded during ongoing clashes between the military and civil society in Khartoum.
Pierre de Villiers will be in attendance at screenings of the film in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and will also present cinematography workshops at film schools in both cities during the festival.
After kicking off the festival on Oct 12, Goodbye Julia will have subsequent screenings on Oct 21 at Ster-Kinekor Gateway, Durban and on Oct 22 at The Labia, Cape Town.
AFRICAN STORIES
Connecting the festival more closely to the contexts and the continent in which this festival takes place, Goodbye Julia is one of three African stories in this year’s festival. At the heart of the film Mother, directed by Bulgarian Zornitsa Sophia, is the unfolding of the narrative in Kenya, where a theatre director undergoes profound transformation during her experiences at a local orphanage in Kibera, often called one of the biggest slums in Africa. Mother is based on the true story of artist and cultural activist Elena Panyatova.Nayola, directed by José Miguel Ribeiro, is a thrilling animated story about three generations of women plagued by the long civil war in Angola. Based on a play by José Eduardo Agualusa and Mia Couto, Nayola represents bold and thrilling storytelling, alive with vivid eye-candy animation.
See the full line-up online.
