Joyland (2022)

Original title

جوائے لینڈ

Directed by

Saim Sadiq

Genre

drama film, LGBTQ-related film

Country

Pakistan

Runtime

2h 06m

Rated

NR

Rating

7.4 of 10 from 160 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young married man in a conservative Pakistani family takes a job at an erotic dance theater. He becomes infatuated with a transgender dancer, while his wife faces pressure to quit her own job. The story follows the tensions that arise within the family.

tensepoignantslow-burnintrospectivemelancholicsocially awareemotionally complex

What happens

Joyland (Urdu: جوائے لینڈ) is a 2022 Pakistani drama film, written and directed by Saim Sadiq in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, and Salmaan Peerzada. Set in inner-city Lahore, Joyland centers around the low-income Rana family, headed by an elder patriarch (Peerzada) who yearns for the birth of a grandson. He forces his daughter-in-law Mumtaz (Farooq) to quit her job after Haider (Junejo), his youngest son and her husband, finds work at an erotic dance theater. However, complications arise when Haider becomes infatuated with Biba (Khan), a hijra dancer. Joyland's executive producers include prominent figures Malala Yousufzai, Jemima Goldsmith, Riz Ahmed, and Ramin Bahrani among others. Joyland had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2022, becoming the first Pakistani film to premiere at the festival. It screened in the Un Certain Regard section, where it competed for the Caméra d'Or. It won the Jury Prize, as well as the Queer Palm for best LGBTQ-themed film. It was initially banned for theatrical release in Pakistan, but eventually approved for release after minor cuts. It premiered domestically on 18 November 2022 and received generally positive reviews from critics. Joyland was Pakistan's entry for Best International Feature Film at 95th Academy Awards, where it became the first Pakistani film to be shortlisted in the category. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• My Father, Myself (2022)
• Kamli (2022)
• Shotcut (2022)
• Scaring Women at Night (2022)
• Parde Mein Rehne Do (2022)
• Ghabrana Nahi Hai (2022)
• Badhaai Do (2022)
• You Can Live Forever (2022)