The release of “Joyland” was scheduled for November 18th, 2022, however, the film’s release was canceled by the Pakistan Censorship Board.
Premier Shehbaz Sharif has appointed a committee to review the ban on the film Joyland, and the news was made by the Director of PM’s Strategic Reforms Salman Sufi.
In a tweet dated November 14, 2022, Sufi said that the premier had “constituted a high-level committee to assess” the “complaints as well as the merits to decide on its release in Pakistan.”
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of Information, received praise from Sufi as well.
Previously, Sufi had tweeted that he did not support the ban on films, expressing his own personal opinions on the matter. I don’t think it’s right to restrict movies because they bring attention to problems experienced by underrepresented groups in society. It is important to give people the freedom to view and form their own opinions.
Saim Sadiq’s Joyland, produced by ALL CAPS and Sarmad Khoosat Films, and directed by Sadiq, was scheduled for release in Pakistan on November 18th, 2022, however, the Pakistan Censorship Board banned its screenings.
After taking home the prize at the renowned Cannes Film Festival for a film with a feminist message, Joyland earned widespread acclaim.
Pakistan’s first official Oscar submission, the film depicts the challenges of transgender people. To be eligible, though, it had to debut in theatres throughout the nation no later than the week of November 23, 2022.
Sadiq claims that in August of 2022, the three censor bodies in Pakistan gave the film their okay.
After the man’s identity became public, there was a backlash against the movie’s prohibition on social media. Pakistani celebrities such as Sarwat Gillani, Osman Khalid Butt, Adnan Malik, and Sanam Saeed spoke out. Actress Alexandra Daddario has also vouched for the movie.
Other prominent figures, like author Fatima Bhutto and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, have also spoken out against the ban.
