KARACHI: Pakistan announced on Wednesday the country’s Oscar entry, “Joyland,” had been cleared by censors for release in cinemas, less than a week after it was banned by the government due to pressure from right-wing religious factions. 

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 Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) issued the movie a clearance certificate for release in August. But in a notification issued last week, the information ministry said the federal government had declared Joyland “repugnant to the norms of decency and morality” and ruled that it was an “uncertified film” for release in cinemas. 

After widespread uproar, the government set up a committee to review the ban. 

“The film #Joyland has been cleared for release by the Censor board review committee formed at the direction of PM @CMShehbaz,” Salman Sufi, the head of the PM’s reform unit, said on Twitter. 

“Freedom of speech is fundamental right & should be nourished within ambits of the law.” 

Sarwat Gilani, who plays a prominent role in the film, told Arab News: 

“We’ll be making a statement tomorrow [Friday] after we receive an official verdict. We’ll be reaching out to all the media who have stayed in touch. So much gratitude for all the help.” 

Joyland was due to release across Pakistan on November 18. 

The first-ever Pakistani competitive entry left Cannes audiences slack-jawed and admiring and got a nearly 10-minute-long standing ovation from the opening night’s crowd. 

Part of the surprise came from the discovery by many that Pakistan is one the first nations to have given legal protection against discrimination of transgender people. 

In 2018, Pakistan passed a landmark transgender rights bill that provides its trans citizens with fundamental rights including prohibiting discrimination and harassment against them educationally and socially, allowing them to obtain driving licenses and passports and to change their gender in the national database at their own discretion. 

But right-wing religious parties have been campaigning for months to amend the hard-won transgender rights legislation and say the attempts at recognizing and protecting their rights are signs of encroaching Western values.