After much wait, Saim Sadiq’s celebrated and lauded film Joyland is all set to release in Pakistan on 18th November. The film’s trailer was officially released on YouTube recently and has been heavily praised.
Khoosat films announced the news on their Instagram, writing: “Take a first glimpse into the exciting and emotional world of Joyland that delves deep into the challenging complexities of desire and patriarchy, through the story of the Rana family.”
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The 43-second trailer is hard-hitting and is bound to grasp your attention. The gloomy yet fast-paced tune will make your heart beat faster. The trailer begins with a cardboard-made poster of Alina Khan’s character, followed by the character of Rasti Farooq who is all smiles and is running around whilst beaming. We also see glimpses of Sarwat Gilani in the teaser alongside Alina, who we see drenched in blood in a hospital scene. We also see a shot where the poster is being changed at a dance theatre.
The parallels are drawn between two scenes which completely depict two extreme emotions. In one scene, we see an intimate gathering where everyone is happy and celebrating and cut to next scene we see Alina Khan drenched in blood. These parallels encapsulate our expectations from the film; a rollercoaster ride of emotions as we see the plot touching upon the untouched realities of our society.
According to IMDb: “The happily patriarchal Rana family who craves for the birth of a baby boy. the youngest of the Rana men secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and finds himself falling for a fiercely ambitious trans starlet. Their impossible love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family’s desire for a sexual rebellion.”
The film got recognition on many International Platforms and has bagged a number of awards including winning the Queer Palm and Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, where it also got an eight-minute standing ovation. In addition, the film also won the award for the ‘Best Film From The Subcontinent’ at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Moreover, the film got another standing ovation this September at the Toronto International Film Festival at its North American premiere.
Written by Saim Sadiq and Maggie Briggs, directed by Saim Sadiq, and produced by Sarmad Khoosat, the film features Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Sania Saeed, Sohail Sameer, and Salmaan Peerzada.
