KARACHI: A co-producer of the critically acclaimed Pakistani movie, “Joyland,” said on Monday she was excited that the film was going to the Sundance Film Festival in the United States but the team would continue its fight at home for the film’s full release in Pakistan.
Joyland won the Cannes “Queer Palm” prize for best feminist-themed movie this year as well as the Jury Prize in the “Un Certain Regard” competition, a segment focusing on young, innovative cinema talent.
Nominated as Pakistan’s entry for next year’s Academy Awards, 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.
But the film has had a tough run in Pakistan, which banned its screening at movie theaters last month, reversing a previous all-clear for release order. The film, which celebrates “transgender culture” in Pakistan, was later allowed to be released in some parts of the country and remains banned in Punjab, the most populous and largest province.
“It feels amazing to be part of the Sundance Film Festival,” the movie’s co-producer Sana Jafri told Arab News, saying the festival would be the last for the film where it would be featured in the ‘spotlight section.’
Despite the achievement, however, the team would continue to fight to get the movie released in Punjab, Jafri said.
“Sundance is very exciting but that does not discount the fact that we will still keep fighting for the film to get released in Punjab, that is just equally important to us,” the producer said.
“This film is about them [Punjabi people], this film is shot in Lahore. The way the Punjabi audience can relate to the film and the way the film can resonate with them, the way they can pick up all the jokes, the rumor, the family dynamics, and all of that is so important. We really hope the film gets to see the light of day in Punjab.”
“No matter wherever we go in the world, we belong here, this film [Joyland] belongs here and it is important for our own people to be able to enjoy and watch a film that was made by their own people for them.”
Joyland director Saim Sadiq, who made it to Variety’s list of 10 directors to watch for in 2023, first shared the news on Sunday that his film was going to Sundance.
The Sundance Film Festival 2023 will take place from January 19-29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Resort, along with a selection of films available online across the country from January 24 to 29, 2023. The films shortlisted for the festival represent 23 countries from across the world and have been selected from a total of 15,855 submissions.
Prior to Joyland, the Pakistani short films “All That Perishes” by Hira Nabi in 2020 and “Sandstorm (Mulaqat)” by Seemab Gul in 2021 made it to the prestigious film festival.
