JOYLAND

Abba, an elderly wheelchair-bound widower, presides over his large family in a cramped apartment near an amusement park called Joyland.  He’s particularly disappointed in one of his sons, Haider, who’s unemployed while his wife Mumtaz works as a makeup artist.  They have no children.  Problems arise when Haider gets a job in a local erotic dance theatre, where he falls under the spell of the show’s star performer, Biba.

A film as bold and imaginative as Joyland from a young Pakistani filmmaker should have been a point of pride for the nation’s film industry, but after being selected as the country’s official Academy Awards entry, its theatrical release in Pakistan was cancelled by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting which said it contained “highly objectionable material…” It was eventually passed for release after cuts imposed by the censors.  This international release shows the original uncut version.

“A delicate, intelligent and emotionally rich film.”  Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian.