Joyland, which won big at Cannes, blocked from Pakistan release by censors

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani film that won critical acclaim at a major international festival this year will no longer be screened in local cinemas after the government revoked its certification in the wake of an inquiry which was launched after it received “written complaints” from people. 
Joyland, which celebrates “transgender culture” in Pakistan and tells the story of a family torn between modernity and tradition in contemporary Lahore, won the Cannes “Queer Palm” prize for best feminist-themed movie as well as the Jury Prize in the “Un Certain Regard” competition, a segment focusing on young, innovative cinema talent. 
The first-ever Pakistani competitive entry to the Cannes Film Festival left the audiences slack-jawed and admiring, and got a nearly 10-minute-long standing ovation from the opening night’s crowd. 
The Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) in Pakistan issued the film a certificate in August, though the information ministry said the decision had led to complaints about “highly objectionable material” which did not “conform with the social values” of the country. 
In a notification issued on Friday, the ministry mentioned “written complaints” that said the film was “clearly repugnant to the norms of ‘decency and morality’ as laid down in Section 9 of the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979.” 
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 9(2) (a) of the said Ordinance and after conducting a comprehensive inquiry,” it continued, “the Federal Government declares the feature film titled ‘JOYLAND’ as an uncertified film for the whole of Pakistan in the cinema which fall under the jurisdiction of CBFC with immediate effect.” 
It may be recalled that Catherine Corsini, French director and the “Queer Palm” jury head, had described Joyland as a “very powerful film” with “strong characters who are both complex and real” after the Cannes glory. 
The director of the film, Saim Sadiq, said earlier this year he was “most excited” that his production would be watched by people in his own country. 
“There is too much relatability in this film for Pakistanis more than anywhere else in the world,” he told Arab News in June. “If an audience from France, sitting at Cannes, can respond like that, I think people here hopefully should respond better because there is far more they can recognize in there.”