‘Joyland’ will make you laugh, smile and cry: Riz Ahmed praises Saim Sadiq’s ‘groundbreaking’ film

Oscar-winning actor is one of the executive producers for the Cannes-winner

Riz Ahmed, the Oscar-winner filmmaker and actor who joined Joyland as an executive producer last year, took to Instagram to praise the “groundbreaking film.” He not only praised it for winning a lot of “firsts” for its nation but also for its stellar storyline and acting.

On Saturday, Ahmed took to Instagram and posted a picture with Joyland actors Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Ali Junejo and Alina Khan. “You might hear a lot of talk about how Joyland is a groundbreaking film. And it is. First Pakistani film to get into Cannes Film Festival, the first to win all these awards across the world, the first queer love story to be released in Pakistan and the first to make an impact like this,” he captioned the post while adding that the film is so much more than what it has achieved so far.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Riz Ahmed (@rizahmed)

“But beyond all of those ways it makes history, I guarantee you this film will just make you laugh, smile, and cry. Amazing storytelling, writing, acting, and artistry,” the Emmy-winning actor wrote.

Ahmed, with his production house Left Handed films, boarded Saim Sadiq's directorial as an executive producer last year when the film was inching closer to its Oscar nomination. “Our mission at Left Handed Films is GO LEFT - and this film does that, flipping the script in so many ways. Go see what all the fuss is about,” he encouraged the United States audiences to show Joyland the love it deserves.

Earlier last year, Ahmed’s production house released a statement announcing their onboarding with Joyland. The statement read, “Saim Sadiq’s filmmaking is both understated and gut-wrenching. His writing is consistently unexpected — both unflinchingly joyous and devastating. Every scene is so elegantly composed yet bursting with vividly raw characters and performances. Joyland is one of the best films of the year, and against all odds of resources and marketing budgets, it’s been amazing to see festival juries, audiences, and critics shouting that from the rooftops.”

Sadiq, on the other hand, was grateful. “I am excited that Riz and Left Handed Films will be joining Joyland as Executive Producers." The filmmaker further shared, “Riz and his production company have a track record of exquisite taste and having them on board further affirms our belief in both the urgency and universality of Joyland.”

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.

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