The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee has selected Joyland as the official submission for Oscar consideration in the ‘International Feature Film Award’ category for the 95th Academy Awards.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will choose the final nominees for all award categories including International Feature Film in December 2022. The complete and final list of Oscar nominees will be announced on 24th January, 2023 with the presentation show for the 95th Academy Awards scheduled to take place on 12th March, 2023.
Written and directed by Saim Sadiq, Joyland has been a special film for Pakistan. It has bought multiple accolades to the country within a short span of time. Joyland had a world premiere at Cannes in Un Certain Regard as the festival’s first ever Pakistani film, went on to receive a standing ovation and won the Jury Prize and the Queer Palm. It also won in the Best Film from the Subcontinent category at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) and was recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Produced by Apoorva Guru Charan, Sarmad Sultan Khoosat and Lauren Mann, the film features Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, Salman Peerzada, Sohail Sameer and Sania Saeed. Shot in Lahore, the film is a bittersweet tale of repressed desire and the quest for individual freedom.
According to press statement, Pakistan Oscar Committee chair Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy said: “We are delighted to be able to send one of our best to compete at the Academy Awards this year. Joyland gives us hope that Pakistani cinema is finally leaving a mark on the world stage. This may just be the year we get noticed! Congratulations to the entire filmmaking team.”
Speaking about the selection, writer and director Saim Sadiq said: “I am humbled, thankful, and excited about this immense honor to represent Pakistan at the Oscars with a film that I truly believe is an honest and compassionate representation of who we are as people. I hope that the joys and sorrows of these characters foster empathy amongst the viewers in Pakistan and abroad. In the coming months, we will need many duas and good wishes from our people for the road ahead. We always complain about how – despite the presence of many great artists in all fields – Pakistani art has remained grossly underrepresented in the world. This year, however, has been different already. So, I’ll take this moment to feel hopeful. With my gratitude to the selection committee, I wish the best of luck to Joyland and to Pakistan!”
Producers Apoorva Guru Charan and Sarmad Sultan Khoosat said: “The journey of making Joyland has brought together the most wonderful team from around the world, united in a truly South-Asian, universally human story from Pakistan. We are so grateful to the committee – with this entry, we get to share Joyland with a larger audience. With love from Pakistan, to the world.”
This year’s Oscar Committee was chaired by two-time Academy Award and Emmy winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and includes Ali Sethi [Musician], Omar Shahid Hamid [Author/Script Writer], Rafay Mahmood [Film Critic], Samina Ahmad [Actress, Producer and Director], Jerjees Seja [TV and Film Producer], Bee Gul [Screenwriter and Director], Rizwan Beyg [Fashion Designer], Mo Azmi [Cinematographer], and Zeba Bakhtiar [Actress].
Joyland is scheduled to release in cinemas across Pakistan on 18th November.
Watch Saim Sadiq’s interview here:
