Joyland to release in Pakistan on November 18

KARACHI:  Pakistan was in for a treat as Cannes Film Festival revealed its selection for its 75th edition. Saim Sadiq’s Joyland was on the list, making it the first movie from Pakistan to be nominated for the prestigious film festival. Not only was the film nominated under the Uncertain Regard Category, Joyland also won at Cannes. And that was only the tip of the iceberg. Since then, the film and its team have travelled across the world including Sydney, Melbourne and Toronto and gathered praises from each screening. Naturally, the elephant in the room was; when was the movie going to come to Pakistan? While local audiences patiently waited and the filmmakers promised a local release, Joyland now finally has a release date for Pakistan! Announcing the news with a fresh poster, the team revealed that Joyland will release in cinemas across Pakistan on November 18.

Writer and director Saim Sadiq took to Instagram to share the news and the artwork, “There couldn’t have been a better way to announce this then by sharing our poster – this heartbreakingly beautiful painting by a Pakistani artist I admire so much, Salman Toor. No image could ever represent the collective human essence of Joyland better than what Salman has so graciously given us and I’m forever in his debt!”

Salman Toor who painted the initial portrait shared how “‘Over His Shoulder’ is a portrait of a man looking out from inside an embrace. His slightly defiant gaze shows him as someone who is loved and who gives love back, generously and without fear. The curved stylization of the painting communicates the warmth and humanity of this caress. In Joyland, Saim confidently explores the empowerment and trauma of traditional and non-traditional relationships in a society weaponized by patriarchal ideas of decency and shame. I’m thrilled to lend this image for Sadiq’s incredible and vital new film.”

With the release date of Joyland only a few weeks away, excitement and joy is definitely in the air for local viewers and filmmakers!