Mumbai: The film Joyland has become the first Pakistani movie that will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival 2022. The festival will run between May 17 and May 20, 2022.
The Cannes Film Festival’s official selection gave a nod to the film. Joyland will be screened under the Uncertain Regard category.
The film revolves around a patriarchal joint family that yearns for a baby boy to carry their lineage. Meanwhile, the youngest son is a secret member of an erotic dance group and falls in love with a trans-sexual starlet. It leads to a rebellion within the family.
It is directed by debutant Saim Sadiq and produced by Apoorva Guru Charan, Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, and Lauren Mann under the banners All in Caps, Khoosat Films, Diversity Hire, One Two Twenty Entertainment, Blood Moon Creative, Film Manufacturers, and Astrakan and Noruz Films.
The executive producers are Ramin Bahrani, William Olsson, Jen Goyne Blake, Tiffany Boyle, Elsa Ramo, Hari Charana Prasad, Sukanya Puvvula, Oleg Dubson, Kathrin Lohmann, and Owais Ahmed.
The film stars Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Sohail Sameer, Salman Peerzada, and Sania Saeed in pivotal roles.
“My amazing cast has given the characters of Joyland a kind of empathy and humanity that a filmmaker can only hope for, and I am thrilled for the world to experience their magic,” Sadiq said in a statement.
An Indian documentary, All That Breathes, will also be screened at the festival.
(Avya Mathur)