Written by: Mahnaz Shujrah
Posted on: June 01, 2022 | 
| 中文
Joyland Team. (L to R) Sarmad Khoosat, Sarwat Gillani, Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Saim Sadiq, Alina Khan, Sania Saeed, Apoorva Charan and Sana Jafri
Pakistan as well as South Asia made history as Saim Sadiq’s film, ‘Joyland’, bagged two awards at Cannes, the most prestigious film festival in the world. The 75th rendition of the event took place from May 17th till May 29th, 2022, and a delegation of Joyland’s cast and crew represented Pakistan proudly at the international platform.
The film won the Jury Prize, one of the most respected and sought-after awards, in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ category. It also received the Cannes Queer Palm Prize for the ‘best LGBTQ or feminist-themed film’. Selection of feature films is highly competitive at Cannes, with only about fourteen films being selected. Hence it is an incredibly proud moment for Pakistan to make it to the list.
Joyland receives Jury Prize for 'Un Certain Regard' category
Written and directed by Saim Sadiq and co-written by Maggie Briggs, ‘Joyland’ tackles a taboo issue within Pakistani society. The non-conventional story depicts a man Haider (Ali Junejo), who belongs to a narrow-minded patriarchal family, following his journey as he falls in love with Biba (Alina Khan), a transgender who is the lead dancer in a theatre group. Suffocated by the atmosphere at home, with the taunts of unemployment and the pressure of having a son, Haider goes to join the theater group after his wife Nucchi (Sarwat Gillani) gives birth to yet another baby girl. ‘Joyland’ is character driven, the audience witnesses the internal struggles of the protagonists as they maneuver through the tangible and intangible rules of society.
Alina Khan and Saim Sadiq at Cannes 2022
The film is produced by Apoorva Charan, Sarmad Khoosat and Lauren Mann, and is Saim Sadiq’s debut feature film. The cast also included Sania Saeed, Salman Peerzada, Sohail Sameer and Rasti Farooq.
The screening of Joyland took social media by storm. A clip went viral when the film received a standing ovation from the audience, and Saim Sadiq was seen teary-eyed and overwhelmed with emotion. Standing ovations are a tradition at the festival, and their duration reflects the appreciation of the audience. In an interview with Al Jazeera, about the applause Sadiq says “somebody told me 10 minutes, somebody told me seven. I don’t know what to believe. I know that I had enough time to hug my whole team of 40 people twice.”
Rasti Farooq and Ali Junejo
Jury Head, French director Catherine Corsini, said to the media, “Joyland will echo across the world. It has strong characters who are both complex and real. Nothing is distorted. We were blown away by this film.” Last year, Corsini herself won the award with "La Fracture", a film depicting a lesbian couple's relationship.
The fact that the focus of Joyland is a social issue, has made it more significant. The transgender community is marginalized and faces myriads of difficulties and challenges on a daily basis. Pakistan is one of the first nations to have given legal protection against discrimination to transgender people, yet the implementation on the ground is lagging. However, there is some progress as Pakistan legally recognized the third sex in 2009, and in 2018 the first transgender passport was issued. When films like Joyland are internationally acclaimed, they play a much-needed role in changing attitudes and mindsets, and raising people’s awareness in Pakistan.
Transgender actor Alina Khan has played the lead role in Joyland
A well-executed film is one of the best examples of synergy. It is the team effort during each stage, from storyboarding till the final cut, which brings an idea to life. Hence, it is equally important to give due credit to everyone behind the scenes. Director of Photography Joe Saade brilliantly plans each frame to beautifully capture expressions and silences. Editing of the film was done by Jasmin Tenucci and Saim Sadiq himself. Abdullah Siddiqui was behind the original score of Joyland. Costume design was done brilliantly by Zoya Hassan. Sana Jafri was the casting director, a crucial yet often underrated aspect of filmmaking, while Gulshan Majeed was the stylist and choreographer. Qasim Abbas and Hyra Basit were the assistant directors for the film. A huge shoutout to the team, including those not mentioned, for their efforts and dedication.
In an exclusive interview with Fuchsia Magazine, Sarwat Gillani shared her thoughts on Joyland and the future of Pakistan’s film industry: “This is a foot-in-the-door and we hope that more directors, producers and content producers find the path that we are making accessible. I hope this gives them the courage to make something and put it out there. It is only when you are fearless that things start rolling. If you are fearful that my work is not good enough, then it will never be good enough. And that is the amazing thing about Saim Sadiq, that he is okay with failure and success. He is telling the people what Pakistan is about, and what his team is about. I hope that more films are made for festivals like these. This is just the first step for all of us and I am so glad that we are part of it.”
‘Joyland’ has brought much pride to the country, and everyone is looking forward to the film being released nationwide and internationally.
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