Joyland

'Joyland' marks a before and after in the history of Pakistan, which has chosen this LGBT+ drama as its 2023 Oscar nominee. The film tells the story of Haider, a married man and the youngest of the Rana family, a traditional Islamic household. Haider starts working as a dancer in a theatre, but he lies to his family, saying he is the director. There he meets Biba, a strong-willed trans woman who runs the show, with whom he falls in love. Together they live an impossible love, while the Rana family wishes for their own sexual freedom.

It has won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival and the Queer Palm. The film has caused a stir in Pakistan, but finally, the ban imposed on it for showing a same-sex romance, considered a sin in the Islamic community, has been lifted. The only province where it is still banned is in Punjab.

It is the debut film of director and screenwriter Saim Sadiq, who co-writes the script with Maggie Briggs. The cast includes Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwar Gilani, Salmaan Peerzada, Sameer Sohail, Sania Saeed, Ramiz Law, Honey Albela, Priya Usman Khan, Honey, Shahbaz Rafiq, Iftikhar India, Umar Fiaz, Pakeeza Batool, Eeshal Ali, Shiza Moin, and Muhammad Usman Malik.