The Guardian declares Saim Sadiq’s ‘Joyland’ as one of the best movies so far

One of the most anticipated Pakistani movies ‘Joyland’ has been declared as one of the ‘best films of 2023 so far’, as per The Guardian.

The Guardian in its publication described Saim Sadiq’s directional movie as a ‘subtle trans drama from Pakistan that explores the unsettled social and sexual identities of a widower and his children with delicacy and tenderness.’ 

As per the publication, “This is a movie about people who find their inner lives, and their sense of themselves don’t match what is expected of them. Their feeling of wrongness is part of what they have to suppress, from day to day.”

Read more: Art has no boundaries! ‘Joyland’ screened at India’s Habitat Film Festival

The film is the first Cannes entry award-winning film for Pakistan. It won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the renowned film festival. After that, the film won many awards at international film festivals.

The movie also became the first Pakistani movie ever to be shortlisted to this year’s Oscars, but, unfortunately, did not make it to the nominations. 

It is worth mentioning that Joyland was made available everywhere but was afterward removed due to “extremely objectionable material” by Pakistan’s censor board. After modest modifications and censor board permission, the movie was released across the country in the wake of fierce backlash against the limitation and strong support for it.

The film stars Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, and Salmaan Peerzada.  Joyland tells a love story between a middle-class boy and a transgender star, and made its debut at Cannes earlier this year, earning a jury prize and standing ovations.