'Joyland' is Pakistan's entry for Oscars 2023

The Saim Sadiq directorial is the country's official submission for the 95th Academy Award

After much deliberation, Pakistan’s Oscars Selection Committee has shortlisted Joyland as the country’s submission to the 95th Academy Awards for the ‘International Feature Film Award’ category, stated a press release.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will choose the final nominees for all award categories including International Feature Film in December 2022. The complete and final list of Oscar nominees will be announced on January 24, 2023, with the presentation show for the 95th Academy Awards scheduled to take place on March 12, 2023.

Written and directed by Saim Sadiq, and produced by Apoorva Guru Charan, Sarmad Sultan Khoosat and Lauren Mann, Joyland features Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gillani, Salman Peerzada, Sohail Sameer and Sania Saeed.

“We are delighted to be able to send one of our best to compete at the Academy Awards this year. Joyland gives us hope that Pakistani cinema is finally leaving a mark on the world stage. This may just be the year we get noticed! Congratulations to the entire filmmaking team.” said Pakistan Oscar Committee chair, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

Speaking about the selection of his recent offering, writer and director Saim Sadiq has said, "I am humbled, thankful, and excited about this immense honor to represent Pakistan at the Oscars with a film that I truly believe is an honest and compassionate representation of who we are as people. I hope that the joys and sorrows of these characters foster empathy amongst the viewers in Pakistan and abroad. In the coming months, we will need many duas and good wishes from our people for the road ahead."

The director went on to add, "We always complain about how - despite the presence of many great artists in all fields - Pakistani art has remained grossly underrepresented in the world. This year, however, has been different already. So, I’ll take this moment to feel hopeful. With my gratitude to the selection committee, I wish the best of luck to Joyland and to Pakistan!"

Producers Apoorva Guru Charan and Sarmad Sultan Khoosat have said, "The journey of making Joyland has brought together the most wonderful team from around the world, united in a truly South-Asian, universally human story from Pakistan. We are so grateful to the committee - with this entry, we get to share Joyland with a larger audience. With love from Pakistan, to the world."

The Saim Sadiq directorial is a befitting pick, granted its success at Cannes and following global acclaim. In May, the film won the Queer Palm prize for best LGBT, queer or feminist-themed movie at Cannes. The first-ever Pakistani competitive entry at the festival, the film also won the Jury Prize in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ category, a segment focusing on young, innovative cinema talent.

Joyland beat several power-packed entries, including Close by Belgian director Lukas Dhont and Tchaikovsky's Wife by Kirill Serebrennikov. Both were hot contenders for the Cannes Festival's top Palme d'Or award. Joyland had left the Cannes audiences slack-jawed too, receiving roughly an over 10-minute standing ovation from the opening night's crowd.

After experiencing raging applause in France, the short queer drama won another award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). Joyland won in the Best Film from the Subcontinent category at the prestigious festival.

A tale of the sexual revolution, Joyland tells the story of the youngest son in a patriarchal family who is expected to produce a baby boy with his wife. He, instead, joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for the troupe's director, a trans woman.

About Joyland, Saim had shared with The Express Tribune, “Emotionally, observationally, if I’ve seen a vulnerable moment in my mother or aunt, I have inculcated that in Joyland. When you feel, you don’t belong to that boys’ club, how it doesn’t come naturally to you, you start wondering if it makes you any less of a man. When you’re not interested in cricket or having other ‘masculine traits’, you start questioning the notion of masculinity. Why those nuances are so strict? Why do they stifle you unnecessarily? Those things did make their way into the film. Understanding the privilege that comes with being a man also made its way into Joyland.”

The award-winning film is set to release in Pakistan on November 18.

The film will mark the ninth submission by the Pakistani Academy Selection Committee having previously submitted Zinda Bhaag in 2013, Dukhtar in 2014, MOOR in 2015, Mah-e-Mir in 2016, Saawan in 2017, Cake in 2018, Lal Kabootar in 2019 and Zindagi Tamasha in 2020 to represent the best of Pakistani cinema for award consideration in the International Feature Film category.

The Oscar Committee for 2022 is chaired by two-time Academy Award and Emmy-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and includes Ali Sethi [Musician], Omar Shahid Hamid [Author/Script Writer], Rafay Mahmood [Film Critic], Samina Ahmad [Actress, Producer and Director], Jerjees Seja [TV and Film Producer], Bee Gul [Screenwriter and Director], Rizwan Beyg [Fashion Designer], Mo Azmi [Cinematographer] and Zeba Bakhtiar [Actress].

An international film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the United States of America and its territories with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Animated and documentary feature films are permitted.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.