Pakistan has selected Saim Sadiq’s Joyland as its submission for best international feature at the Oscars 2023.
Sadiq’s debut feature follows a married man who joins an exotic dance troupe and falls in love with the lead dancer, a trans woman. The cast comprises Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Sohail Sameer, Salman Peerzada, and Sania Saeed.
Joyland world premiered at Cannes in Un Certain Regard as the festival’s first ever Pakistani film, and went on to win the jury prize and the Queer Palm. It also screened at the Zurich Film Festival this month, where it was nominated for best international feature (pending) and will play at BFI London Film Festival (October 5-16).
It is produced by the US’s All Caps and Pakistan’s Khoosat Films in association with Diversity Hire, One Two Twenty Entertainment, Blood Moon Creative, Film Manufacturers Inc., Astrakan AB, and Noruz Films. Film Constellation are handling international sales.
Pakistan has submitted 10 entries to the Oscars in recent years with no nominations as of yet. Its last entry was in 2020 with Sarmad Khoosat’s Circus Of Life.
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