The Independent Spirit Awards announced its nominations in film on Tuesday morning, and Saim Sadiq’s Joyland has bagged the Best International Film nod, alongside four other films from around the globe.
The film, that’s currently screening in Pakistan with the exception of Punjab, will be competing against Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage, Martika Ramirez Escobar’s Leonor Will Never Die, Davy Chou’s Return to Seoul and Alice Diop’s Saint Omer.
Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis, led the tally with eight nominations — Best Feature, Best Director, Best Lead Performance, Curtis and Quan for Best Supporting Performance, Best Breakthrough Performance, Best Screenplay and Best Editing.
Right behind the film was Todd Field’s Tar with seven nominations and Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun with five.
Sadiq’s Joyland is the first Cannes entry award-winning film for Pakistan. It won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the renowned film festival. It also won the Best Film award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne and, more recently, Joyland was selected as Pakistan’s official submission for the Oscars.
The film, set in Lahore, revolves around a middle-class Punjabi family with rigorous patriarchal values. The youngest son of the family, Haider, played by Ali Junejo, begins to challenge these values upon falling in love with a transgender dancer Biba, played by Alina Khan, after joining a dance theatre. The film also stars Sarwat Gilani, Rasti Farooq, Sania Saeed, Sohail Sameer and Salmaan Peerzada.
Joyland was “banned” by Central Board of Film Censors in Pakistan a week before its release due to complaints surrounding its “immoral” content. After being re-reviewed by a committee formed by the prime minister, it was given go-ahead to release. Punjab, albeit, has not allowed it to be screened, despite it being cleared with minor cuts, and many have approached the Peshawar High Court against the decision.
Winners, chosen by members of Film Independent, will be announced at the awards ceremony set to be held on March 4, 2023 in California.
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