JOYLAND is an Urdu and Punjabi-language Pakistani drama film written and directed by Saim Sadiq in his feature film directorial debut. It was the first Pakistani film to be shortlisted in the Best International Feature Film category at 95th Academy Awards. It won the Jury Prize and Queer Palm Prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. JOYLAND is an achingly honest, luminous drama tackling gender and desire.
Synopsis: JOYLAND explores the many sides of love and desire in a patriarchal society. Gentle and timid, Haider (Ali Junejo) lives with his wife Mumtaz (Rasti Farooq), his father, and his elder brother’s family in Lahore, Pakistan. Following a long spell of unemployment, Haider finally lands a job at a Bollywood-style burlesque, telling his family he is a theater manager, when in actuality, he is a backup dancer. The unusual position shakes up the steadfast traditional dynamics of his household and enables Haider to break out of his shell. As he acclimates to the new job, Haider becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman Biba (Alina Khan) who runs the show—an unforeseen partnership that opens his eyes and ultimately his worldview, in ways both unexpected and intimate.
This screening is curated by Womxn in Windows.
Watch trailer here.
Womxn in Windows is a platform for the perspectives of womxn on culture, identity and society. What started as an annual public exhibition of womxn-made art films in storefront windows, now supports and produces work in film, video, music, poetry and performance. WxW has been regarded by the LA Times as ‘a video art show made for this moment’. Partners have included, Times Square Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Center and Storyhouse Foundation among others. WxW was founded in 2019 by Zehra Zehra.
Zehra Zehra is a curator, cultural producer and founder of Womxn in Windows with over a decade’s experience in the art and design world. She founded WxW in 2019 when she saw a need for more womxn of diverse backgrounds to have opportunities to both show their work in public spaces and engage with one another.
