'Joyland' secures Best International Film award

FOOLS_NIGHTMARE · Mar 5, 2023

Movie based on underprivileged transgender community in Pakistan outshines four other international nominations for best film award category

After winning multiple awards, the globally acclaimed Pakistani motion picture "Joyland" has achieved another success as it has secured the Best International Film Award at the Independent Spirit Awards 2023.

The film that explores transgender issues in Pakistan outlasted four other nominations in the award category, including Marie Kreutzer's Corsage, Martika Ramirez Escobar's Leonor Will Never Die, Davy Chou's Return to Seoul, and Alice Diop's Saint Omer.

Directed by Saim Sadiq, the movie stars a trans woman in the lead role in a first for Pakistan, and has bagged appreciation and praise from all over the world.

It is strictly focused on the lives of transgender people and building an unbiased narrative of their struggles.

Apart from winning multiple awards, Joyland made history by claiming the most coveted jury prize in the “Un Certain Regard” competition, a category that reportedly focused on artistically daring movies, at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in France last year.

It was the first-ever Pakistani movie which was nominated at Cannes and managed to beat the other 13 nominated movies at the festival.

The movie is also an Oscars contender from Pakistan.

Joyland was released worldwide but banned by the censor board of Pakistan over “highly objectionable material”. The restriction drew severe criticism and support for the film, and after some edits and approval by the censor board, the film was released across the country.

The Independent Spirit Awards are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers.