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Pakistan bans Joyland movie: Days after Pakistan’s Censor Board passed it for screening in theatres, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banned the movie Joyland in the country. The film is Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars 2023 and has been highly appreciated at various film festivals worldwide. The film shows the story of a man falling in love with a transwoman, and that’s probably the reason why the authorities felt it didn’t ‘conform with the social value, decency and morality’ standards of their society.
As reported by the news agency PTI, the authorities have claimed that Joyland which is directed by Saim Sadiq contains “highly objectionable material”. Interestingly, the Censor Board had earlier issued a certificate clearing the movie for public viewing. Joyland was granted the certificate by the government on August 17. As the objections intensified, the I&B ministry decided to avoid a backlash from conservative elements of the country and therefore, initiated a complete ban on its screening.
As part of its notification generated on November 11, the ministry said, “Written complaints were received that the film contains highly objectionable material which does not conform with the social values and moral standards of our society and is clearly repugnant to the norms of ‘decency and morality’ as laid down in Section 9 of the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979 (sic) .”
Joyland is Sadiq’s directorial debut and it has been sent to the Oscars to collect a sport in the final five of the best international feature category. The film was scheduled for theatrical release in Pakistan on November 18. “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 9(2) (a) of the said Ordinance and after conducting a comprehensive inquiry, the Federal Government declares the feature film titled ‘Joyland’ as an uncertified film for the whole of Pakistan in the cinemas which fall under the jurisdiction of CBFC with immediate effect,” the order further read.
Joyland follows a patriarchal family, craving for the birth of a baby boy to continue the family line, while their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for a trans woman. Sadiq wrote and directed the film which features an ensemble cast of Sania Saeed, Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, Rasti Farooq, Salmaan Peerzada, and Sohail Sameer.
Joyland is against Islam, said Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, the only senator of hardline Jamaat-e-Islami in the Pakistan Senate, as he welcomed the government’s decision to ban the film in the country. “Pakistan is an Islamic country and no law, ideology or activity can be allowed against,” he tweeted in Urdu.
الحمدللہ! @GovtofPakistan
نےمتنازع فلم جوائےلینڈکوجاری کردہ نمائش کالائسنس منسوخ کردیاہے۔نوٹیفیکیشن جاری،یہ حکومت کااحسن اقدام ہے۔پاکستان اسلامی مملکت ہےیہاں کوئی قانون، کوئی اقدام،کوئی نظریہ خلافِ اسلام نہیں چل سکتا۔#BanJoyland pic.twitter.com/tib00zo6Dd— Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan (@SenatorMushtaq) November 12, 2022
In a Twitter thread, actor Sarwat Gilani talked against the film’s ban and mentioned how it’s a shame that a country has sent a movie to the Academy Awards but its own people can’t watch it. “Shameful that a Pakistani film made by 200 Pakistanis over 6 years that got standing ovations from Toronto to Cairo to Cannes is being hindered in its own country. Don’t take away this moment of pride and joy from our people! “No one’s forcing anyone to watch it! So don’t force anyone to not watch it either! Pakistani viewers are smart enough to know what they want to watch or not. Let Pakistanis decide! Don’t insult their intelligence and our hard work!” she wrote, using the hashtag #ReleaseJoyland.
There’s a paid smear campaign doing rounds against #Joyland, a film that made history for Pakistani cinema, got passed by all censor boards but now authorities are caving into pressure from some malicious people who have not even seen the film. #ReleaseJoyland @MoIB_Official
— sarwat gilani (@sarwatgilani) November 12, 2022
Joyland became the first Pakistani movie to be screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and Queer Palm award. The movie was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival. On Friday, it won the Asia Pacific Screen Awards’ young cinema award, given in partnership with the critics’ association NETPAC and the Griffith Film School.
— With inputs fro PTI
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