After spending a year full of awards, standing ovations, home release, some bans, and an Oscars nomination, filmmaker Saim Sadiq walked into 2023 with a CNN interview to commemorate Joyland making history by qualifying the Oscars Shortlist for Best International Feature Film.
On Monday, Sadiq took to Instagram to share how he spent his New Years celebrating Pakistan, cinema and his film Joyland. “Here’s hoping 2023 is filled with even more joy but a little less chaos!” he captioned the clip giving a glimpse into his live conversation on TV.
Upon how he feels about being the first Pakistani filmmaker to be on the prestigious award’s shortlist, Sadiq shared how “great” the achievement feels but why he can’t take all the credit for it. “I shouldn’t be taking all the credit because filmmaking is a collaborative act which involves a lot of technicians, cast, crew and team but on behalf of all of them, I can say that we’re particularly thrilled and proud, for sure."
He went on to share how important the story of Joyland is. “What’s different in Joyland than perhaps all the other Pakistani films is that it is the most realistic depiction of our society without romanticising any aspect of it. It’s not something that people are used to seeing, that is, a reflection of yourself – that can be haunting but also uncomfortable."
The filmmaker added, “For me, seeing a film set in Pakistan about patriarchy and gender roles and the impact of those on human beings was important."
Upon what it has been like to work with Malala, Sadiq added that it was the most “starstruck” moment of her life. “She is the most humble human being and she was very diligent about making right by the film,” he recalled, adding that the whole process has been a learning curve for him and it continues to be that way.
About what new offerings one should expect from Pakistan, given how revolutionary the past year was for Pakistani pop culture, Sadiq, in his humble manner, reminded the host that a year is too less to bring change while acknowledging that the past year was incredibly giving in terms of recognition, both globally and locally.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how all of us are joined by more artists this year because it's a country of 230 million and so I hope more talent gets the opportunity to showcase their work. It’s an exciting time to see what new movie or song comes out for the world and for Pakistan as well this year,” he concluded.
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