'Joyland' inches closer to Oscar nomination

The Academy has announced that fifteen films advanced to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category, which includes Pakistan's Joyland as well. Saim Sadiq's directorial continues making waves as it becomes the first local offering to have made it to the next round after being shortlisted.

India's international submission, Last Film Show, also made the cut, alongside films from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Demark, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, South Korea and Sweden.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday that 301 feature films are eligible for the 95th Oscars, which includes presumed contenders such as Elvis, The Fabelmans and Living. This number of movies marks an increase from last year’s 276 films that were eligible from 2021, and down from 366 in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

All expected contenders are listed on the Academy’s annual Reminder List of Productions Eligible for the 95th Academy Awards, including the performers eligible for consideration in the acting categories.

The highest-grossing movies of the year including Avatar: The Way of Water, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Top Gun: Maverick are among the robust list, while critically acclaimed features such as The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Tár are also in the mix.

Previously, speaking about the selection of his recent offering, the writer and director had said, "I am humbled, thankful, and excited about this immense honour 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!"

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.

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