Entertainment
Sudan selects Cannes award-winning film Goodbye Julia for Oscars
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“Goodbye Julia”, the first-ever Sudanese feature to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, has been selected by Sudan to represent the war-torn country at the Academy Awards in the Best International Film category.
Mohamed Kordofani’s trailblazing debut feature about South Sudan‘s split from the north won the Un Certain Regard freedom prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the world’s most prestigious film gathering.
Its selection at the French Riviera festival acquired special resonance when war broke out in Sudan in April, pitting the army against a rival militia in a bitter and bloody power struggle that has further derailed Sudan’s already fragile transition to democracy.
“Goodbye Julia” is only the second Sudanese feature film to be submitted for selection at the Academy Awards, after Amjad Abu Alala’s 2020 movie “You Will Die at Twenty”.
“I feel very grateful that the committee in Sudan reactivated and selected ‘Goodbye Julia’ for the Oscars race despite the war,” Kordofani said in a statement after learning about the movie’s submission for the Academy Awards, where it will compete for Best International Feature Film.
“This only shows how resilient and hopeful people in Sudan can be,” he added. “I feel immensely honoured that my film is now on the list of Sudan’s submissions to the Academy, and I hope we can be visible to voters so that – maybe – we can be visible to the world and show it a different side of Sudan.”
“Goodbye Julia” is set in Khartoum in the years leading up to South Sudan‘s independence referendum in 2010, following another grisly civil war, this one between North and South. It explores the troubled coexistence between unequal communities in a society blighted by racism and divided along ethnic and religious lines.
The great divide is portrayed through two households, starkly unlike in fortune: one Muslim, Arab and well-off, the other Christian, Black and poor. The titular character Julia (played by Siran Riak) belongs to the latter, though the film is really about the wealthier Mona (Eiman Yousif).
When their worlds collide in a fatal shooting, Mona’s husband Akram (Nazar Gomaa) dismisses the incident as “self-defence”. But Mona knows there is more to it, racked by a consuming sense of guilt that leads her to take Julia in as her maid – without disclosing the terrible secret behind her husband’s death.
Read moreCannes movie explores roots of Sudan bloodshed, making festival history
In an interview with FRANCE 24 during the Cannes Film Festival, Kordofani spoke of a “toxic tendency” towards “tribalism and racism” in his home country, which he blamed for the conflict that led to Sudan’s partition and the years of bloodshed in Darfur.
“I feel we need to build a new national identity that is proud of things that don’t drive us apart, like freedom, like coexistence, like compassion,” he said. “I want to ignite that dialogue by admitting that I, myself, had a problem and I hope that people watching the film will admit that as well.”
Originally published on France24
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Emirates Dubai 7s is returning to The Sevens Stadium from November 27 to 29, with tickets now on sale for the three-day sports and entertainment festival.
The 2026 edition will bring together international rugby, amateur sports, live music and family entertainment, with organisers promising a bigger programme than previous years.
The festival attracted more than 88,000 visitors in 2025 and will again take place during the final weekend of the Dubai Fitness Challenge.
Ticket prices
Ticket prices for General Admission and Hospitality have stayed the same for a third consecutive year.
Three-day General Admission tickets cost Dh595 per person, while the three-day Family Pass is Dh1,136 for two adults and two children.
Other ticket options
- Group pass: Dh446 per person for four or more adults
- Saturday or Sunday: Dh455
- Friday: Dh75
- Under 15s: Free
- People of Determination + carer: Dh375
Tickets can be purchased through the Emirates Dubai 7s website and app.
Bigger family attractions
Family entertainment will get a major boost this year as the UAE celebrates the Year of the Family.
The festival will feature its biggest-ever Kids’ Zone, including the UAE’s largest inflatable kids’ zone, along with a Ferris wheel and zipline. More attractions are expected to be announced ahead of the event.
Six sports and top rugby action
Alongside elite rugby, visitors can watch or take part in competitions across six sports — rugby, netball, cricket, WODON3 fitness, Rebound padel and Gaelic Football.
Gaelic Football will join the festival for the first time in 2026.
The Sevens Stadium will also host the opening round of the HSBC SVNS Series 2027, bringing the world’s leading rugby sevens players to Dubai.
The WODON3 Elite final will take place on Pitch 1 between HSBC SVNS matches, with competitors potentially performing in front of crowds of up to 20,000.
Music all weekend
Live entertainment will run throughout the festival, with local and international artists performing across three days.
Last year’s line-up included Tinie Tempah, Sean Paul and Fisher, while the 2026 headline acts will be announced later.
For a premium experience, The Sunroom returns with all-inclusive food and drinks, shaded seating, prime sporting views and dedicated access. Packages start from Dh1,925 per person.
With sport, music and family attractions packed into one weekend, Emirates Dubai 7s is gearing up for another big Dubai event.
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