Written and directed by Saim Sadiq, Joyland has had a tumultuous trajectory this season. It burst out of the gate in Cannes as the first Pakistani film ever in the official selection, winning the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard and taking several awards later down the road.
But after Pakistan entered it as the country’s candidate for the International Feature Oscar, things went sideways when the local Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banned the movie just one week before its release for containing “highly objectionable material.” Ultimately, the ban was reversed, but edits were required.
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The story follows a patriarchal family as they yearn for the birth of a baby boy to continue the family line, while their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theater and falls for…
