https://twitter.com/LostInFilm/status/1605697362067787776
The placing of Joyland in a shortlist for the Oscars surprised as well as delighted many of its fans at home and abroad. The initial reaction to the film was mixed, as conservative-minded individuals and groups within Pakistan advocated for a complete ban on the film from being viewed in public or in cinemas, while those of a more moderate and liberal mindset demanded that the film be kept uncensored and be allowed to play in theaters nationwide.
https://twitter.com/hasankazmi_/status/1605677667176570880
Joyland was scheduled to be released in Pakistan on 18 November 2022. However, Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banned its release citing the country's Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979. This decision was reversed on 16 November 2022, clearing the way for domestic screenings of the film, after censoring several “objectionable scenes” of the film.
https://twitter.com/aamnaisani/status/1605809974042677249
The cast of Joyland includes Ali Junejo who plays ‘Haider’, the son of a conservative Pakistani family who decided to become a back-up dancer and Alina Khan, a transgender actress who plays the role of ‘Biba’, the show-runner of Haider’s dance group.
Other films in the Oscars Shortlist for Best International Film 2022 include Argentina 1985 (Argentina), All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany), Corsage (Austria), Close (Belgium), Return to Seoul (Cambodia), Holy Spider Saint Omer (France), Last Film Show (India), The Quiet Girl (Ireland), Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico), Blue Caftan (Morocco), EO (Poland), Decision to Love (South Korea), and Cairo Conspiracy (Sweden).