Joyland wins International award: The internationally acclaimed Pakistani film “Joyland,” which has already won a number of accolades, has now added the Best International Film Award to its list of accomplishments.
The movie, which examines transgender issues in Pakistan, prevailed over four other nominees in the same category, including Corsage by Marie Kreutzer, Leonor Will Never Die by Martika Ramirez Escobar, Return to Seoul by Davy Chou, and Saint Omer by Alice Diop.
As a first for Pakistan, the movie is directed by Saim Sadiq and features a trans woman in the starring role. It has received acclaim and accolades from all around the world.
It is solely concerned with the lives of transgender persons and developing a fair account of their difficulties.
Together with several accolades, Joyland made history by taking home the most coveted jury prize in the “Un Certain Regard” competition at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in France last year. This competition apparently focused on films with bold aesthetic vision.
The film from Pakistan made history as the first Pakistani movie to be nominated at Cannes. It then went on to beat out the other 13 nominees and triumph at the festival.
The Pakistani film is also a nominee for the Academy Awards.
The Pakistani censor board forbade the distribution of Joyland because it included “extremely unpleasant stuff”. The movie received both harsh criticism and strong support due to its restrictions. However, after making some adjustments and obtaining clearance from the censor board, the producers released the movie nationwide. Awarded to independent filmmakers are the Independent Spirit Awards.
