‘Land of Joy’: Pakistani film releases in select theaters after government lifts ban


Islamabad, Pakistan
CNN

The award-winning Land of Joy hits theaters in parts of Pakistan on Friday after authorities in the South Asian country lifted a ban following complaints that the domestic film was unwatchable.

Directed by Saim Sadiq, Land of Joy tells the love story between the youngest son of a “happy patriarchal joint family” and a transgender starlet he meets after secretly joining an erotic dance theatre. synopsis on the Cannes Film Festival website.

The storyline proved too sensitive for the Pakistani government, which withdrew the film’s certification last week after receiving written complaints that it contained “highly objectionable material.”

However, government adviser Salman Sufi tweeted on Wednesday that the censorship committee subsequently approved the film. with the requested edits, adding: “Freedom of speech is a fundamental right and should be upheld within the law.”

The film was listed for viewing in some cinemas in Pakistan on Friday, with the exception of the province of Punjab, where the Department of Information and Culture said it could not be screened “due to persistent complaints received from various sources.”

As of Thursday evening, the filmmakers have not made an official announcement about lifting the nationwide ban or about a new ban in Punjab.

Joyland is the first Pakistani film to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and the unofficial Queer Palm award in May. It was then nominated for an Oscar as Pakistan’s official entry for an international feature film award. According to the official rules of the Academygotta play in theaters at least seven days before November 30 to qualify for inclusion.

Cancellation of the nationwide The ban came after a public outcry from human rights organizations, including prominent Pakistanis. Malala Yousafzai who is also the film’s executive producer.

In a post on Instagram the director of the film, Sadiq, called on the authorities to reconsider the ban, and one of his stars, Rusty Farouk said in a post: “I support my film and everything it says with every fiber of my being.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan published statement Sunday, denouncing the government’s revocation of Joyland’s certification as “vehemently transphobic” and a violation of film producers’ right to freedom of expression.

“Viewers of Pakistan have the right to decide what they watch,” the statement said.