Athens International Film Festival
aiff

JOYLAND

As the strictly traditional Rana family awaits the birth of yet another boy, the youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls in love with one of its trans members. In parallel with his secret flirt, the entire family opens up to unexpected sexual experimentation. This year’s Queer Palme d’Or is an unexpected liberating film from Pakistan, the first in the history of the Cannes Film Festival from this country. The film’s pansexual momentum does away with gender stereotypes and any prejudice as to how a film like “Joyland” could ever come out of such a stronghold of patriarchy and religious puritanism.


PAKISTAN / 2022 / COLOR / DCP / 126’ / URDU

While Ranas, a strictly traditional family, can’t wait for another boy to be born, their teenage son joins an erotic dance company and falls in love with a trans member. On the fringes of his own unseen flirtation, the whole family starts opening up towards an unexpected erotic experimentation. This year’s Queer Palm is an unexpectedly and explosively liberating film from Pakistan, the first in the history of Cannes from the particular country. Its sexual momentum sweeps along with gender stereotypes and every pre-decided thought which until recently would not even allow the expectation for a film like ‘Joyland’ to spring from a bastion of traditional patriarchy and religious puritanism. N.S.

DIRECTOR: Saim Sadiq
SCREENWRITERS: Saim Sadiq, Maggie Briggs
DoP: Joe Saade
MUSIC: Abdullah Siddiqui
EDITORS: Saim Sadiq, Jasmin Tenucci
PRINCIPAL CAST: Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Sohail Sameer, Salmaan Peerzada, Sania Saeed

SAIM SADIQ
Pakistani director. He has won the Jury Prize of the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. He has studied Anthropology in Pakistan and got his Masters’ from Columbia, New York. This is his feature debut.

FILMOGRAPHY
2022 Joyland



        : International Competition

        FALCON LAKE

        FALCON LAKE

        29/09/22, 19:15, DANAOS 1
        01/10/22, 22:00, TRIANON

        ASTRAKAN

        ASTRAKAN

        29/09/22, 22:00, TRIANON
        01/10/22, 19:30, TRIANON

        ENYS MEN

        ENYS MEN

        30/09/22, 19:00, ASTY
        02/10/22, 22:15, ASTY

        1976

        1976

        30/09/22, 22:15, ASTOR
        03/10/22, 20:00, ASTOR

        HUESERA

        HUESERA

        01/10/22, 22:30, IDEAL
        03/10/22, 22:00, TRIANON

        THE BLUE CAFTAN / LE BLEU DU CAFTAN

        THE BLUE CAFTAN / LE BLEU DU CAFTAN

        02/10/22, 19:30, DANAOS 1
        04/10/22, 21:45, DANAOS 2

        DOS ESTACIONES

        DOS ESTACIONES

        02/10/22, 22:00, TRIANON
        07/10/22, 22:15, DANAOS 2

        THE QUIET GIRL / AN CAILÍN CIÚIN

        THE QUIET GIRL / AN CAILÍN CIÚIN

        03/10/22, 19:30, DANAOS 1
        05/10/22, 19:30, TRIANON

        AFTERSUN

        AFTERSUN

        03/10/22, 22:15, ASTOR
        07/10/22, 22:30, ASTOR

        RETURN TO SEOUL

        RETURN TO SEOUL

        04/10/22, 21:45, ASTOR
        06/10/22, 19:30, ASTOR

        PAMFIR

        PAMFIR

        05/10/22, 19:30, DANAOS 1
        07/10/22, 19:30, ASTY

        AWARD-WINNING FILM SCREENING

        AWARD-WINNING FILM SCREENING

        09/10/22, 22:00, DANAOS 1