Ahead of Historic Cannes Debut, Desperate Sudanese Filmmakers Try to ‘Hold On and Not Lose Hope’ as Country Edges Toward Civil War
variety.comChristopher Vourlias On April 14, just hours after the Cannes Film Festival unveiled the full line-up of its 76th edition, Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani took to Facebook to express his gratitude for the well wishes pouring in.
His debut feature, “Goodbye Julia,” had been selected to world premiere in the festival’s Un Certain Regard section, marking the first time a Sudanese film will bow on the Croisette. “I do not know if faith and hard work alone make dreams come true,” he wrote, describing the challenge of making movies in Sudan as an “almost impossible” task. “One needs a little luck and a lot of people’s support and faith.” One day later, those dreams were dashed as violence erupted in the streets of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
The conflict between factions loyal to two rival generals, who together engineered a military coup in 2021, has pushed Sudan to the brink of civil war.
A tenuous ceasefire is now in place, putting a halt to hostilities that have thus far left at least 528 dead and displaced more than 330,000, according to the Sudanese government, although the actual figures are likely much higher.
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