Editorial
Published December 25, 2022
IT should be a moment of pride for the country that the film Joyland has become the first Pakistani film to be shortlisted for the best International Feature Film category by an Oscar committee. Joyland is one of 15 films that made the cut in the category which saw nominations from 92 countries. The development is a huge honour for the team that worked on the film, and will serve as encouragement not just for the film crew but also the independent film community in Pakistan.
It is an unfortunate reality that though the film has been appreciated by the Academy Awards and gained recognition at several other international film festivals, it is still not being shown in Punjab. Earlier, it was banned across the country, but after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a committee to review the film, thankfully the ban was lifted. It reminds one of the numerous other instances where Pakistan has been celebrated by the international community for an achievement that has hardly been recognised at home. Dr Abdus Salam, Pakistan’s first Nobel laureate, was recognised for his work in physics internationally, but unfortunately at home, his name and legacy are largely absent from the history books. Such occasions must compel our leaders to reflect on why the nation has reached this unpleasant juncture, and what can be done to address it. Joyland explores the relationship between a married man and a transgender woman, and while it is a novel subject when it comes to films made locally, it is by no means offensive. In fact, it tells the story of a community that is vilified and violently attacked. As the people celebrate this piece of good news, its political stakeholders must do more to support art and creative expression as well as deliberate on ways to promote tolerance. It is disappointing that despite the court and parliament recognising the rights of transpeople, there are many elements in society who are able to create a climate of fear that leads to such bans.
Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2022
IT should be a moment of pride for the country that the film Joyland has become the first Pakistani film to be shortlisted for the best International Feature Film category by an Oscar committee. Joyland is one of 15 films that made the cut in the category which saw nominations from 92 countries. The development is a huge honour for the team that worked on the film, and will serve as encouragement not just for the film crew but also the independent film community in Pakistan.
It is an unfortunate reality that though the film has been appreciated by the Academy Awards and gained recognition at several other international film festivals, it is still not being shown in Punjab. Earlier, it was banned across the country, but after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a committee to review the film, thankfully the ban was lifted. It reminds one of the numerous other instances where Pakistan has been celebrated by the international community for an achievement that has hardly been recognised at home. Dr Abdus Salam, Pakistan’s first Nobel laureate, was recognised for his work in physics internationally, but unfortunately at home, his name and legacy are largely absent from the history books. Such occasions must compel our leaders to reflect on why the nation has reached this unpleasant juncture, and what can be done to address it. Joyland explores the relationship between a married man and a transgender woman, and while it is a novel subject when it comes to films made locally, it is by no means offensive. In fact, it tells the story of a community that is vilified and violently attacked. As the people celebrate this piece of good news, its political stakeholders must do more to support art and creative expression as well as deliberate on ways to promote tolerance. It is disappointing that despite the court and parliament recognising the rights of transpeople, there are many elements in society who are able to create a climate of fear that leads to such bans.
Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2022
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