Joyland (film)

Joyland
Release poster featuring a painting by Salman Toor
Directed bySaim Sadiq
Written by
  • Saim Sadiq
  • Maggie Briggs
Produced by
CinematographyJoe Saade
Edited by
  • Saim Sadiq
  • Jasmin Tenucci
Music byAbdullah Siddiqui
Production
companies
  • All Caps
  • Khoosat Films
  • Diversity Hire Ltd.
  • One Two Twenty Entertainment
  • Blood Moon Creative
  • NNB Digital Media
  • Film Manufacturers Inc.
  • Astrakan AB
  • Noruz Films
  • Vidhi Films
Distributed byFilm Constellation
Release dates
  • 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) (Cannes)
  • 18 November 2022 (2022-11-18) (Pakistan)
Running time
127 minutes[1]
CountryPakistan
LanguagesPunjabi
Urdu
Box office$1.2 million[2][3]

Joyland (Urdu: جوائے لینڈ) is a 2022 Pakistani drama film, written and directed by Saim Sadiq in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, and Salmaan Peerzada. Set in inner-city Lahore, Joyland centers around the low-income Rana family, headed by an elder patriarch (Peerzada) who yearns for the birth of a grandson. He forces his daughter-in-law Mumtaz (Farooq) to quit her job after Haider (Junejo), his youngest son and her husband, finds work at an erotic dance theater. However, complications arise when Haider becomes infatuated with Biba (Khan), a hijra dancer.[4]

Joyland had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2022, becoming the first Pakistani film to premiere at the festival. It screened in the Un Certain Regard section, where it competed for the Caméra d'Or.[5] It won the Jury Prize,[6] as well as the Queer Palm for best LGBTQ-themed film.[7] It was initially banned for theatrical release in Pakistan, but eventually approved for release after minor cuts. It premiered domestically on 18 November 2022 and received generally positive reviews from critics. Joyland was Pakistan's entry for Best International Feature Film at 95th Academy Awards,[8] where it became the first Pakistani film to be shortlisted in the category.[9]

  1. ^ "Joyland (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Joyland (2022)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Joyland (2022)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  4. ^ Barraclough, Leo (11 May 2022). "Cannes' Un Certain Regard Title 'Joyland' Swooped on by Condor in France (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  5. ^ Scott Roxborough (14 April 2022). "David Cronenberg, Park Chan-wook, Kelly Reichardt Set for Cannes Competition". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference award:inde was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Pakistani trans drama 'Joyland' wins 'Queer Palm' as Cannes film festival accused of 'cold-shouldering' the LGBTIQ+ award". SBS. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  8. ^ "'Joyland' is Pakistan's entry for Oscars 2023". The Express Tribune. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Joyland becomes Pakistan's first film to make it to the Oscar shortlist". Dawn Images. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.