The award-winning movie “Joyland” opens in cinemas in parts of Pakistan on Friday after authorities in the South Asian nation overturned a ban imposed following complaints the homegrown film was unsuitable for viewing.
Directed by Saim Sadiq, “Joyland” tells the love story between the youngest son of “a happily patriarchal joint family” and a transgender starlet he meets after secretly joining an erotic dance theater, according to a synopsis on the Cannes Film Festival website.
The storyline appeared too sensitive for the Pakistani government, which last week revoked the movie’s certification after receiving written complaints that it included “highly objectionable material.” The award-winning film “Joyland” opens in cinemas in parts of Pakistan on Friday.
The Information and Culture Department says the ban was imposed “in the wake of persistent complaints received from different quarters.”
However, government adviser Salman Sufi tweeted Wednesday that the censor board review committee had subsequently cleared the film with requested edits, adding: “Freedom of speech is a fundamental right and should be nurtured within the ambits of the law.”
The film won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars. According to the official Academy rules, it needs to play in theatres for at least seven days before November 30 to qualify for inclusion.
