LAHORE: Saim Sadiq’s “Joyland” will go off against Alice Diop’s Saint Omer, Martika Ramirez Escobar’s Leonor Will Never Die, Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage, and Davy Chou’s Return to Seoul.
The movie, which is presently playing in Pakistan, will face off against Corsage by Marie Kreutzer, Leonor Will Never Die by Martika Ramirez Escobar, Return to Seoul by Davy Chou, and Saint Omer by Alice Diop.
Directors Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, which stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu, took first place with eight nominations for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Lead Performance, Best Supporting Performance by Curtis and Best Breakthrough Performance by Quan, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing.
With seven nominations, Todd Field’s “Tar” and Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun” were right behind their movie.
One of the major achievements of Sadiq’s “Joyland” is that it was Pakistan’s first submission to the Cannes Film Festival and won Jury Prize for the Un Certain Regard category. Additionally, it won the Best Film prize at the Melbourne Indian Film Festival, and most recently, Pakistan’s official Oscar entry, “Joyland,” was chosen.
The narrative of the Ranas, a middle-class family with strict and patriarchal family values, is told in the Lahore-set movie.When family’s youngest son, Haider (Ali Junejo), joins a dance company and develops feelings for transgender dancer Biba (Alina Khan), these ideals are torn apart. Sania Saeed, Sohail Sameer, Rasti Farooq, Salmaan Peerzada, and Sarwat Gilani are also featured in the movie.
People in Pakistan were divided over “Joyland” because they thought it had “objectionable” material. It was initially outlawed by Central Board of Film Censors and later overturned by a prime minister-appointed committee.
The Independent Spirit Awards will take place in California, US, on March 4, 2023.
