‘GOODBYE JULIA' LEADS CRITICS AWARDS FOR ARAB FILMS NOMINATIONS AHEAD OF CANNES CEREMONY

Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani's "Goodbye Julia," a timely morality tale that takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan, leads the way in nominations for the eighth edition of the Critics Awards for Arab films, winners of which will be announced during the Cannes Film Festival.

The first Sudanese film ever to screen in Cannes' official selection, "Goodbye Julia" is the story of two women - one from the North, the other from the South - who are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities in the currently war-ravaged country.

The drama, which marked Kordofani's debut, has scored nominations in eight categories of the Arab film awards, including best feature, director, screenplay, actress, actor and editing.

Other frontrunners are Jordanian first-timer Amjad Al Rasheed's dark social comedy "Inshallah a Boy," with six noms, and Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania's hybrid doc/drama "Four Daughters," about an Arab mother contending with the Islamic radicalization and the sexual desires of her teenage daughters, also with six nominations.

This year's nominees were chosen among Arab films that premiered at international film festivals outside of the Arab world in 2023. The entries are from all over the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region including Sudan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.

This year, for the first time, the Arab film prizes will include an award for best short.

The Critics Awards for Arab Films are overseen by the Cairo-based Arab Cinema Centre and judged by 209 critics from 72 countries. The winners will be announced during a ceremony on May 18 in Cannes.