Joyland’s journey for the Oscars may have ended after failing to receive a nomination this year but the global acclaim continues to come. On Sunday, director Saim Sadiq added another award to his long list of awards at the 38th Independent Spirit Awards where the film won an award for Best International Film.
As it is Differencesthe film managed to win four other nominations including Marie Kreutzer’s CorsageMartika Ramirez Escobar’s Leonor will never die, Davy Chou Back to Seoul and Alice Diop’s Saint Omer.
“They sent us an email saying you have to prepare a speech and I kept it and I didn’t take it seriously and now I’m embarrassed because I have a lot to say and a lot of I’m afraid I’m forgetting someone,” Sadiq said in his speech.
Sadiq, thanks everyone from producers Riz Ahmed, Malala, and Apoorva Guru Charan to his crew, and cast, and says he wouldn’t have come this far without them. “Thank you so much for supporting a film from Pakistan that is in Urdu and Punjabi and talks about what this film is talking about, it was not an easy decision to make,” he said. he said. “It was easy for me to say I want to do this film but it might be difficult for them to say they want to put their mind behind it so I think they should be very grateful for it .”
In the end, the director owed it to his group of players. “[I want to thank] three people actually made this picture. Alina Khan, Ali Junejo and Rasti Farooq, this would not be possible without you. Thank you so much. I hope your future is very bright,” he said.
Joyland it tells the story of a man raised in a dysfunctional patriarchal family who falls in love with a transgender dancer he meets at a dance party. The movie stars Khan, Junejo, Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Sania Saeed, Salman Peerzada and Sohail Sameer.
The film was the first film to win Cannes for Pakistan. It won the Jury Prize in the Uncertain Regard category of the prestigious festival. After completion, the film won many awards at international film festivals and was also nominated for Oscars from Pakistan.
Joyland was “banned” by the Central Board of Film Censors in Pakistan a week before its release due to complaints about its “immoral” content. After reviewing the committee formed by the prime minister, it was put forward for release. Punjab, though, was not allowed to check, even though it was cleared with small cuts.
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