The trailer for Saim Sadiq’s movie about queer love in Pakistan, Joyland, has finally been released. After all the restrictions from the censor board, the movie has gotten a green flag and is all set to be released on 18 November.
The first look at the film offers glimpses of the joy and tragedy that unfold in a patriarchal family in Pakistan.
The 45 seconds teaser shows a man in love, a woman in her wilderness, a family celebrating in its little bubble which is expected to soon burst, and a transwoman drenched in blood.
The teaser then presents glimpses of a show that is about to go down as the audience awaits to be dazzled by dance, despair, and dreams that go up in glitter and smoke.
Joyland is a tale of LGBTQ sexual revolution in Pakistan and 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 who is a transwoman.
Written and directed by Saim Sadiq, and produced by Apoorva Guru Charan, Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, and Lauren Mann, Joyland features Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gillani, Salman Peerzada, Sohail Sameer, and Sania Saeed.
Joyland is the first-ever Pakistani movie to be showcased at the Cannes Film Festival and also won the Jury Prize in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ competition. It was also handpicked by the Pakistani Academy Selection Committee for the 95th Academy Awards for the Oscars 2023’s International Feature Film Award category.
