Pakistan Bans Its Own Official Oscar Entry Joyland Over Objectionable Material, Draws Anger

Pakistan has banned its own official Oscar entry in the country. The movie that won Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the?75th Cannes Film Festival?and received a standing ovation at the prestigious award function,?Saim Sadiq's?Joyland shows a daring portrait of a transgender dancer in the country.?

"It's a very powerful film, that represents everything that we stand for," Queer Palm jury head, French director Catherine Corsini, told AFP about the film.?

Pakistan Bans Its Own Official Oscar Entry Joyland?

The movie has won praises internationally but remains banned in its own country. This comes?months after a certificate was issued clearing the movie for public viewing. The certificate for screening was granted by the government on?August 17.

Joyland has been banned over "highly objectionable material".

The film has been banned because of its "highly objectionable material". After the government gave a certificate for viewing, objections were raised on the content of the movie. So much so, that protests were held. Following this, the?Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banned the movie in order to avoid a backlash from conservative elements of the country.?

The statement from the ministry read, "Written complaints were received that the film contains highly objectionable material which do not conform with the social values and moral standards of our society and is clearly repugnant to the norms of ‘decency and morality’ as laid down in Section 9 of the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979".

Joyland was scheduled to released on Nov 18. Saim Sadiq has made his directorial debut with the movie.?What is the film about??

Twitter

Joyland follows the story of a patriarchal family who awaiting the birth of a son. The youngest son joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for a trans woman. The film stars Sania Saeed, Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, Rasti Farooq, Salmaan Peerzada and Sohail Sameer.

While religious groups are slamming the film saying it is against Islam, many others are criticising the ban.? ?

"Promote brainless violence & war in films all you want but don’t you dare portray a vulnerable community in human light - no space for that in Pakistan thanks to the violence of people with close to zero democratic mandate & not having watched a film they want banned," read a tweet.

(For more news and updates?from the world of?celebrities?from?Bollywood?and?Hollywood, keep reading?Indiatimes Entertainment, and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.)? ??

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