Internationally celebrated Joyland will be screened in Lahore for the first time nearly two years after it was banned from cinemas in Punjab. The event will be held at an alternative venue rather than a traditional movie theater.
The screening was announced by Noor Ul Ain Choudhary, who, according to her Instagram bio, organizes mixtape events in Lahore and Karachi. In partnership with OLOMOPOLO Media, a Lahore-based event space, and Ticketwala, the ticketing platform, she confirmed that the screening is scheduled for August 17.
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The 2022 Pakistani drama film, written and directed by Saim Sadiq, stars Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, and Salmaan Peerzada.
Set in inner-city Lahore, Joyland centers on the low-income Rana family, headed by an elder patriarch (Peerzada) who yearns for the birth of a grandson. He forces his daughter-in-law Mumtaz (Farooq) to quit her job after Haider (Junejo), his youngest son and her husband, finds work at an erotic dance theater. However, complications arise when Haider becomes infatuated with Biba (Khan), a hijra dancer.
Joyland had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2022, becoming the first Pakistani film to premiere at the festival. It screened in the Un Certain Regard section, where it competed for the Caméra d’Or. It won the Jury Prize, as well as the Queer Palm for best LGBTQ-themed film.
