Screen/Society--"Joyland" (Saim Sadiq, 2022)

Film Screening:

"Joyland"
(Saim Sadiq, 2022, 126 min, Pakistan, DCP)

-- Winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, and the Queer Palm, at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival

-- Pakistan's official entry for Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards

"Joyland" explores the many sides of love and desire in a patriarchal society. Haider lives with his wife Mumtaz, his father, and his elder brother's family in Lahore, Pakistan. Following a long spell of unemployment, Haider finally lands a job at a Bollywood-style burlesque. The unusual position shakes up the steadfast traditional dynamics of his household and enables Haider to break out of his shell. As he acclimates to the new job, Haider becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman Biba who runs the show-an unforeseen partnership that opens his eyes and ultimately his worldview, in ways both unexpected and intimate.

"An aching consideration of gender and sexuality." - Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter

"Brims with physical and emotional energy." - Siddhant Adlakha, Indiewire