Daily Times

Filmmaker Saim Sadiq’s critically acclaimed film Joyland, Pakistan’s official entry to the 2023 Oscars, is all set to be screened in India. Joyland is also the first Pakistani film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Besides, it has won several prestigious awards, including the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and the Queer Palm Award. Joyland will be screened at New Delhi’s Stein Auditorium for the Habitat International Film Festival on 25 March at 9pm. Set in Lahore, Pakistan, Joyland follows the story of Haider, the youngest son of the patriarchal Rana family, who yearns for the birth of a baby boy to continue their family line. As time passes, Haider secretly joins an erotic dance theatre, where he meets and falls for a fiercely ambitious trans woman. The film explores their love story amid the desires of the Rana family. Joyland, which is also the directorial debut of Sadiq, features an ensemble cast of Ali Junejo, Sania Saeed, Alina Khan, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Sohail Sameer and Salmaan Peerzada.