Salman Sufi Disagrees with Govt’s Decision to Halt ‘Joyland’ Release

“People should be trusted to watch and make their own mind”.

The Head of the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms, Salman Sufi, raised concerns about the Government of Pakistan’s ban on the Pakistani LGBTQ movie Joyland for its “objectionable” content.

He tweeted:

I personally do not believe in banning films that highlight issues faced by marginalized segments of our society. People should be trusted to watch and make their own mind.

Sufi added a request to the Minister for Information and Broadcast, Marriyum Aurangzeb, to review the ban and meet with Joyland’s team in this regard..

Pakistan’s Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which had previously granted a censor certificate to film on 17 August has since changed its decision on 11 November.

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Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed tweeted a letter initiated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcast on Saturday.

The letter read:

Written complaints were received that the film contains highly objectionable material which do not conform with the social values and moral standards of our society and is clearly repugnant to the norms of ‘decency and morality’ as laid down in Section 9 of the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979.

The order states:

Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 9(2) (a) of the said Ordinance and after conducting a comprehensive inquiry, the Federal Government declares the feature film titled Joyland as an uncertified film for the whole of Pakistan in the cinemas which fall under the jurisdiction of CBFC with immediate effect.

The decision has caused an uproar on social media with people requesting the release of Joyland.

Director Saim Sadiq’s thought-provoking film has enjoyed great success internationally as it was the first-ever Pakistani competitive entry at the Cannes film festival. Joyland also won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard competition — a segment that focused on young, innovative cinema talent, and was the winner of this year’s Queer Palme.

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Joyland team: Director Saim Sadiq, Alina Khan, Ali Junejo, and Rasti Farooq

The film stars trans-actor Alina Khan alongside Sarwat Gilani, Ali Junejo, and Sania Saeed was selected as Pakistan’s Oscar contender for the 2023 Academy Awards. However, the censor board’s decision to ban the film’s domestic release could possibly jeopardize Joyland‘s chances for selection.

About Salman Sufi

The Mother Teresa Award-winning public policy expert who specializes in introducing unique social welfare schemes, Salman Sufi became Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Head of Strategic Reforms earlier this year.

Salman Sufi

Sufi was previously the director general of the Strategic Reforms Unit in Punjab under Shehbaz Sharif’s reign as Chief Minister. A renowned women’s rights activist in the world, Salman Sufi has spearheaded several legislations such as the Violence Against Women Centre, the Punjab Women Protection Act, Shehr-e-Khamoshan, and Women on Wheels.

We hope Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb listens to Salman Sufi and reconsider the ban on Joyland. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.