The Pakistani film ‘JOYLAND’ will be released nationwide in Japan starting Friday, October 18.
The film, which is the first Pakistani movie to have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section and the Queer Palm, and was shortlisted for the International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards, has received high international acclaim.
Set in the ancient city of Lahore, Pakistan, the story follows Haider, who lives with his wife Mumtaz, a makeup artist. He meets Biba, a transgender woman, and becomes captivated by her way of life. The film portrays his struggle between conservative/traditional values and the desire to live freely and authentically. Directed by Saim Sadiq in his feature film debut, the cast includes Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, and Alina Khan.
The film faced backlash from a few conservative groups in Pakistan for “glorifying LGBTQ+ relationships” and containing “content that is extremely offensive and clearly contrary to the standards of decency and morality.” As a result, a week before its scheduled release, the Pakistani government issued a ban on its screening. However, following protests by the director and cast, and support from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed, who both served as executive producers, the ban was lifted three months later. The film was eventually screened in Pakistan in an edited form.
JOYLAND
Director/Screenplay: Saaim Saadiq / Cast: Ali Junejo, Rusty Farooq, Alina Khan, and others
Executive Producers: Malala Yousufzai, Riz Ahmed “The Sound of Metal” and others
English title: JOYLAND / 2022 / Pakistan / Punjabi, Urdu / 1.33:1/ 5.1ch / 127 min / Japanese subtitle: Mika Fujii
