Goodbye Julia directed by Mohamed Kordofani walked away with the Grand Jury Award, Best Narrative Feature at the 27th Sonoma International Film Festival. The film follows the story of Mona, a northern Sudanese retired singer in a tense marriage, who is wracked by guilt after covering up a murder.
Jury Statement from the Narrative Feature Grand Jury: “We commend the festival for its impressive selection of narrative features and unanimously select Goodbye Julia as the best film. An outstanding first feature from Mohamed Kordofani, anchored by two stellar performances from Eiman Yousif and Siran Riak, Goodbye Julia provides a glimpse into a culture and region that’s underrepresented and underexplored in contemporary cinema. We also must give special mention to Hesitation Wound, a brilliant accomplishment from an up-and-coming auteur in Selman Nacar.”
The Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature went to Invisible Nation, director Vanessa Hope’s fascinating portrait of Taiwan’s first female president Tsai Ing-wen.
Jury Statement from Documentary Feature Grand Jury: “2024 is shaping up to be a sobering year. Democracy seems to be at risk. “Invisible Nation,” Vanessa Hope’s cogent, clear-eyed, entertaining film reveals Taiwan as a dynamic nation standing at the forefront of the global fight for democracy.”
The Stolman Audience Award, Best Feature went to The Teacher Who Promised the Sea directed by Patricia Font ; and the A3 Audience Award, Best Documentary went to Call Me Dancer directed by Leslie Shampaine and Pip Gilmour.
The five-day festival showcased more than 100 films, including World, U.S., and Bay Area premieres, in addition to multiple award-winning and critically acclaimed films. Twenty-five countries were represented in this year’s lineup of 43 narrative features, 16 documentary features, and 49 short films. The festival also achieved a historic milestone in attendance and new pass holders; surpassing last year’s high-water mark.
At the festival, award-winning actor Beau Bridges was presented with the SIFF Lifetime Achievement Award. As part of the tribute to the actor and his illustrious 40-year film and television career, Beau Bridges participated in an on-stage conversation with the Los Angeles Times film critic Katie Walsh, followed by a 35th Anniversary screening of The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Award-winning chef Susan Feniger was presented with the SIFF Culinary Excellence Award at a special dinner and screening event featuring the Bay Area Premiere of director Liz Lachman’s Susan Feniger. Forked and a multi-course dinner curated by Feniger.
GRAND JURY FILM AWARDS
Grand Jury Award | Best Narrative Feature:
Goodbye Julia (Mohamed Kordofani | Sudan)
Special Mention: Hesitation Wound (Selman Nacar | Turkey)
Narrative Feature Competition Films: Blaga’s Lessons (Stephan Komandarev | Bulgaria), The Blue Star (Javier Macipe | Spain), Dear Jassi ( Tarsem Singh Dhandwar | India), Goodbye Julia (Mohamed Kordofani | Sudan), Hesitation Wound (Selman Nacar | Turkey), Puan (Maria Alché and Benjamín Naishtat | Argentina/Brazil), Rosalie (Stéphanie di Giusto | France) and Snow Leopard (Pema Tseden | China).
Grand Jury Award | Best Documentary Feature:
Invisible Nation (Vanessa Hope | USA)
Documentary Feature Competition Films included: And So It Begins (Ramona S. Diaz | USA), Farming While Black (Mark Decena | USA), Invisible Nation (Vanessa Hope | USA), Let The Canary Sing (Alison Ellwood | USA), The Most Remote Restaurant in the World (Ole Juncker | Denmark), and Mourning in Lod (Hilla Medalia | Israel).
Grand Jury Awards | Best Short Films:
All 49 Official Selection short films competed for the following awards:
Best Live Action Short | ILY, Bye (Taylor James | USA)
For this audacious filmmaking debut, towering central performance, and a script that is funny as fuck (hell), we’d like to grant the award for best short film in the Live Action category to ILY, Bye by Taylor James.
Best Documentary Short | A Part of You / Made Me Whole Again (Destyn Fuller-Hope and Andrew Wonder | USA)
For its effective and economical storytelling in a cinematic expression of love. We’d like to grant the award for best short film in the documentary category to A Part Of You Made Me Whole Again by Destyn Fuller-Hope and Andrew Wonder.
Best Animated Short | Bug Diner (Phoebe Heart | USA)
For a shocking and memorable use of puppet porn and humor, we’d like to grant the award for best short film in the animation category to Bug Diner by Phoebe Heart.
AUDIENCE FILM AWARDS
The Stolman Audience Award for Best Feature
The Teacher Who Promised the Sea (Patricia Font | Spain)
1st Runner-up: Ghostlight (Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson | USA)
2nd Runner-up: Ezra (Tony Goldwyn | USA)
3rd Runner-up: Wicked Little Letters (Thea Sharrock | United Kingdom)
4th Runner-up: Mr. Blake At Your Service! (Gilles Legardinier | France)
The A3 Audience Award for Best Documentary
Call Me Dancer (Leslie Shampaine and Pip Gilmour | India)
1st Runner-up: Let the Canary Sing (Alison Ellwood | USA)
2nd Runner-up: UnBroken (Beth Lane | USA)
3rd Runner-up: Copa 71 (Rachel Ramsay, James Erskine | United Kingdom)
4th Runner-up: Merchant Ivory (Stephen Soucy | USA)
The McNeely Award for Best Short Film
Save the Cat (Jordan Matthew Horowitz | USA)
1st Runner-up: Abundance: The Farmlink Story (Owen Dubeck | USA)
2nd Runner-up: Terminally Ill (Chris Cole | USA)
3rd Runner-up: Baby Gay (Arielle Frances Bagood | USA)
4th Runner-up: Lunchbox (Anne Hu | USA)