Saim Sadiq’s Joyland has become the first ever Pakisatni movie to be shortlisted for the Oscars.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently revealed its shortlists for the 2023 Oscars in 10 categories, in which the Saim Sadiq directional movie was shortlisted in the International Feature Film category.
Apart from Joyland, India’s international submission, Last Film Show, also made the cut, while another Indian film, RRR, made the shortlist. The complete and final list of Oscar nominees will be announced on January 24, 2023, with the presentation show for the 95th Academy Awards scheduled to take place on March 12, 2023.
The Joyland previously had many feathers in its cap as it became the first Cannes entry for Pakistan and it also bagged the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard segment. Last month, the movie was nominated for Best International Film at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Read more: Joyland nominated for Best International Film at Independent Spirit Awards
Starring Alina Khan, Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Salman Peerzada, and Sania Saeed in the characters, the movie tells the love story between a youngster and a transgender starlet he meets after secretly joining an erotic dance theater and falls for a transgender dancer named Biba.
Because of the love between a man and a transgender, Joyland was the subject of controversy in Pakistan because people believed it had ‘objectionable’ content. It was banned by the Central Board of Film Censors and then later unbanned by a committee formed by the prime minister. However, it is still not screened across Punjab.
