Home Tags Posts tagged with "Joyland"
Tag:

Joyland

as far as they can run
Movies

Pakistan’s “As Far As They Can Run” Shortlisted for Oscars After Joyland

by Ayesal A
written by Ayesal A

Following the success and shortlisting of Pakistan’s ‘Joyland’ another name has been nominated at the Oscars. ‘As Far As They Can Run’ is a documentary by Filmmaker and Producer Ziad Zafar.

This is a huge and exciting deal for Pakistan because the last time Pakistan brought home an Oscar was back in 2016 for Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” which explores the custom of honour killings in Pakistan.

The documentary features the lives of 3 differently-abled athletes in rural Pakistan who, despite often inhumane treatment and exclusion by their communities, manage to find some acceptance and a place in society through sports. The 3 young adults join a running program for differently abled youth in Pakistan, hoping to shift perspectives in their rural community.

Zaid took to his Twitter to announce the big news, writing:

Thrilled to make the #Oscars2023 non-fiction shortlist. Our film #AsFarAsTheyCanRun dir by @tanaze is about teenagers with intellectual disabilities who train to represent Pakistan at the @SpecialOlympics.

WOW360 Trailblazers’ List for Women Achivers 2022

One of the athletes in the documentary is Sana, a specially-abled child who trains to take part in the Special Olympics to find acceptance in her family, society, and country.

Director Tanaz Eshaghian says interacting with the teens, families and coaches while directing this film will forever have a special place in her heart. “Rural and impoverished Pakistani life is extremely foreign for most viewers, but the film bridges that gap quietly, bringing out the commonality we have with families struggling to do their best in a world without safety nets. The pain, the challenge, the small moments of connection, hope, and love.”

Fans can watch the documentary on Paramount Plus.

About As Far As They Can Run”

Director: Tanaz Eshaghian

Executive Producer: Sheila Nevins, Mary Davis, Ronak Lakhani, Tim Shriver, Bobby Shriver

Producer: Tanaz Eshaghian, Christoph Jörg; Co-Producer Ziad Zafar

Cinematographer: Nadir Siddiqui

Editor: Per K. Kirkegaard

Language: Urdu

Country: United States of America

Year: 2022

Publicist: The 2050 Group

US Distributor: MTV Documentary Films

What do you think about this documentary? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Stay tuned to WOW360 for more news and all the latest updates.

Pakistani Athlete Samar Khan Conducts Landikotal-Khyber’s First Cycling Camp for Girls

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Joyland 1
CelebritiesEntertainmentMovies

Pakistan’s Trans Community Upset Over Censor Ban Shares Alina Khan

by Ayesal A
written by Ayesal A

Alina Khan, the trans star of the award-winning and globally recognized movie ‘Joyland’ shares that she was heartbroken after the government of Pakistan decided to put a censor ban on the film a week before its release.

The movie is about a Pakistani man who falls in love with a trans person, however, the board has raised objection over its ‘highly objectional material’.

While half of the social media wants the movie to be released with a proper rating for those who want to watch the content, the other half supports the ban.

In the midst of this argument, Khan has shared that the trans community in the country is heartbroken over this decision. Moreover, she believes that this is the first major Pakistani motion picture with a trans actor in lead and should be owned proudly.

Is Censor Board’s Ban on ‘Joyland’ in Pakistan Justified?

While giving an interview with The Guardian, she shared “I’ve been very sad.  I don’t understand.” The 24-year-old added: “The Pakistani trans community was also very upset.”

Alina Khan also talked about her character Biba, and how this character has become a role model for her. She shared:

“She’s a badass, strong-willed, fiercely independent, dominating, outspoken woman, everything that I am not; I loved the role I played,” said Khan. When she was offered the role, she was relieved not to play an “oppressed” character “which is the life for most transgenders in Pakistan”.

Khan said she was rejected by her family when she came out as trans. “My family did not accept me, but neither did society.” She was told she embarrassed relatives, and her mother was constantly angry with her. “She would tell me not to make exaggerated hand gestures like a woman while talking, to sit like a boy and not be in the company of girls,” said Khan. Her siblings called her khusra – a derogatory term, which was originally used to refer to eunuchs but is also a slur against trans people. But as Khan said: “I had never met a transgender [person] in my life so did not know what they were like.”

‘My own brother would lock me outside the house’ Trans Actor Alina Khan

“Tears were trickling down my face while I continued smiling. I don’t know whether the tears were of joy, were for all the hard work that I put in, or for my struggles since I was a child and that continue,” said Khan, who made her screen debut in the short film Darling in 2019. “For the first time in my life, I felt my talent preceded my gender, I was given so much respect.”

After such international success, her family welcomed her with open arms. “They accepted me finally. They realised that I was not earning by begging or doing sex work,” she concluded.

Do you agree? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Stay tuned to WOW360.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Joyland
Movies

Is Censor Board’s Ban on ‘Joyland’ in Pakistan Justified?

by Ayesal A
written by Ayesal A

If you were waiting to watch the Oscar-contending Pakistani movie ‘Joyland’ we have really bad news for you. The censor band has banned the movie for containing “highly objectionable” material.

An order dated Nov. 11 from Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting says that the country’s censor board had granted a censor certificate to the film on Aug. 17. But it has since reversed the decision.

“Written complaints were received that the film contains highly objectionable material which does 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,” the order states.

“Now, therefore, in the exercise of the powers conferred by Section 9(2) (a) of the said Ordinance and after conducting a comprehensive inquiry, the Federal Government declares the feature film titled ‘Joyland’ as an uncertified film for the whole of Pakistan in the cinemas which fall under the jurisdiction of CBFC with immediate effect.”

‘My own brother would lock me outside the house’ Trans Actor Alina Khan

The movie was due to release in Pakistan after its worldwide success on 18th November. ‘Joyland’ is based on the life of Haider, the youngest son of a middle-class patriarchal Rana family. Haider secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and finds himself falling for a fiercely ambitious trans starlet. Of course, the family wants nothing to do with them but their love story brings out dirty secrets and desires of the family out in the open.

After hearing of the ban, APSA said in a written statement: “ ‘Joyland’ represents a significant new cinematic talent in Saim Sadiq from Pakistan, who has crafted a moving and entertaining drama about a family in his debut feature film. The Young Cinema Award Jury commends Saim Sadiq for his brave and joyous celebration of community diversity and the universality of love.”

So far Saim Sadiq and the film’s producers have not given any comment on the matter. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai helms the project as executive producer, and the film is Pakistan’s official entry for the Oscars’ international feature category.

We have yet to see what the future holds for the film. Meanwhile, celebrities and other personalities are not happy and want the censor board to rethink their decision with an appropriate rating.

So, is the censor board’s decision justified? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Stay tuned to WOW360 for all the latest news and updates.

Joyland, Based on Transgenders Makes History at Festival de Cannes as the First Pakistani Film to Make the Cut

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
IMG 20221006 WA0022
Celebrities

‘My own brother would lock me outside the house’ Trans Actor Alina Khan

by Ayesal A
written by Ayesal A

In an emotional interview, ‘Joyland’ famed transgender actor Alina Khan shared her experiences of what it’s like living as a trans in Pakistan.

Khan rose to fame after her film ‘Joyland’ received the Cannes honour, which was just the beginning. Khan and her co-stars are now Pakistan’s official entries for the Oscars.

However, life was not always full of glitz and glamour for the star. Her journey has remained anything but easy.

Her interview about the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of 2018 with Pakistan Experience resurfaced, detailing the trauma she had endured.

From her own family members to neighbors, and of course a transphobic society, Allina Khan has faced discrimination, humiliation, and bias over a situation that is completely out of her control.

During the interview, she reflects back to the first time she was referred to as ‘Khusra’ and her family remained silent about it.

“When I was 16 years old, I didn’t really know who I was. I knew I had feminine traits, I liked dressing up as a girl and I liked playing with them instead of boys but by this time, people started noticing,” she said.

“One night, we were all watching TV and a guy walked past our house and yelled ‘Oye khusre’ [Aye, transgender] and it was very loud. My mom, my brother, and my sister all looked at me. I knew it was targeted at me and I felt so embarrassed. It upset me a lot that I’m insulted at home already but now people outside will do the same.”

Trans Actors Alina Khan & Naaz Joshi Open Up About Their Journeys

In another instance, she shared that her family’s hate for her grew over time and they started to isolate her due to shame. “I used to always accompany my sister to get groceries but when I got a little mature, things changed. This one time my sister told my mom that she wants to go to the market and my mom asked her to take her brother [Alina] along. She said, ‘No, why would I take him with me? People will not only watch him but also me.’ At that time, I understood what she meant by that.”

Despite it being an extremely hard decision, she decided to ignore what others had to say and move about her life.

“I asked myself to stop pretending. I am who I am, I can’t change it, can I? For how long will I keep dealing with it? I can at least be who I am openly when everyone knows anyway.”

She added that she had to be home by 9PM due to curfew, but to her academy she would be late at times. “Sometimes it would get to 10 pm or 10:30 pm and when I’d knock on the door, my sister would yell from inside, ‘agaya khusra tawda puttar, kholo darwaza’ [your transgender son is here, open the door] and so our neighbors would also hear and know that a transgender lives in the house. Sometimes it was also the case where I’d spend the whole night pulling the doors and banging on them for someone to open it,” she said, holding back her tears.

“My brother slept near the door while my parent’s room was a little further in the house and he would not open the door on purpose. I’d spend the whole night outside, walking on the streets, confused as to why this was happening to me.”

Despite everything that happened to her, she remained hopeful knowing that one day her fate will change.

Hats off to this amazing woman for being an inspiration for countless others. More power to you.

Stay tuned to WOW360.

Joyland, Based on Transgenders Makes History at Festival de Cannes as the First Pakistani Film to Make the Cut

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
trans actors
Celebrities

Trans Actors Alina Khan & Naaz Joshi Open Up About Their Journeys

by Ayesal A
written by Ayesal A

Trans actor Alina Khan and India’s first trans international beauty queen Naaz Joshi recently voiced their respective journeys in an upcoming episode for BBC News’s podcast.

In a preview clip shared on Instagram, both Alina and Naaz talk about how they each broke the barriers and defied all odds through their work in cisgender women-dominated professions.

In the clip, we hear Pakistan’s Alina Khan, talk about how trans community members have learnt to live amongst others, but others have still not learnt to live and accept them as a part of society. She adds that after the success of her film, her family finally started to accept her and after years she was able to spend quality time with them and even spent a night at home.

Khan shares:

Hum ne logon main rehna seekh liya hai par abhi bhi logon ne humare sath uss tarha se rehna nahi seekha. Meri ye jo sab se baari kamyabi dekha jaye toh film main kaam karne ke bahad family ne mujhe properly accept kia, un ke pas mera ana jana hua, jab main Cannes se award win kar ke ayi toh sab se pehle main apne ghar gayi, apni family main raath guzari, aur woh ek raath merey liye bohaut baari raath thi ki main kabhi bhi ghar main nahi raath guzari hai mene.

“We have learned to live with people, but people have not yet learned to live with us. For me, the biggest achievement after working on the film [Joyland] was that my family properly accepted me. I started going and meeting them. When I returned after winning an award at Cannes, I went to visit my family first and spent the night there. That one night was a huge night for me because before then, I had never spent the night in my home before,”

Alina Khan has recently starred in ‘Joyland’ and has won multiple international awards including the prestigious jury prize in the “Un Certain Regard” competition at Cannes and ‘Best Film from the Subcontinent’ at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IIFM).

Pakistani Activist Bubbli Malik Creates History by Becoming the First Transgender to Address the National Assembly

On the other hand, Naaz Joshi is the world’s first trans woman to win the Miss World Diversity title three times in a row. She made waves because before her accomplishment, the pageant only had cisgender participants. Moreover, she is also India’s first trans model, gracing the covers of magazines and ramps.

Her journey has also been a rollercoaster of emotions. Joshi shares:

Jab main ramp pe thi, Dubai main, ek Sheih ne bohaut chilla ke bola ‘transgender!’, agar meri jaaga koi aur larki hoti shahid woh tooth jati ramp pe, woh agay ramp pura nahi kar pati.. Leken main ne pura ramp kia aur pura ramp kar ke main wapis ayi, aur shahid wohi baath judges ko pasand ayi aur mujhe jo hai crown kia gaya.

“When I was on the ramp walk in Dubai, one sheikh shouted out ‘transgender.’ If there was any other girl in my place, perhaps she would have felt broken and would not have been able to continue the ramp walk. But I completed the ramp walk and then came back. Maybe that was what stood out to the judges, and I was crowned,” Naaz shared.

Baat Sarhad Paar: Conversations Across The Border is a joint production between BBC News Hindi and BBC News Urdu.

What are your thoughts on their struggles? Share them with us in the comments below.

Stay tuned to WOW360.

Joyland, Based on Transgenders Makes History at Festival de Cannes as the First Pakistani Film to Make the Cut

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
283860228 2808589772780365 3872027106732645009 n
EntertainmentFeaturedMovies

Joyland, Based on Transgenders Makes History at Festival de Cannes as the First Pakistani Film to Make the Cut

by Sahrish Shakeel
written by Sahrish Shakeel

Saim Sadiq’s Joyland is based on the thought-provoking subject related to the transgender community in Pakistan and the trials and tribulations they have to go through in their lives.

The film that has yet to be released in Pakistani cinemas has made history as Pakistan’s first film to make it to the Festival de Cannes, a festival held in France annually to preview new films of all genres, including documentaries, worldwide. The 2-hour long film has been nominated for the Un Certain Regard category at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

Saim has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a graduate degree in film directing from Columbia University. His works include August Sky, The Caretaker, Nice Talking To You, etc.

Other contenders from the category include Retour à Séoul by Davy Chou, Beast Riley Keough, and Gina Gammell, Burning Days by Emin Alper, Butterfly Vision by Maksim Nakonechnyi, Corsage by Marie Kruetzer, Domingo and the Mist by Ariel Escalante Meza, Godland by Hlynur Pálmason, Metronom by Alexandru Belc, Plan 75 by Hayakawa Chie, Rodeo by Lola Quivoron, Sick of Myself Kristoffer Borgli, The Silent Twins by Agnieszka Smocynska, The Stranger by Thomas M. Wright and Les Pires by Lise Akora and Romane Gueret.

283938308 2808590212780321 5620933025286798260 n
283966880 2808590119446997 8491118676156292299 n
283792206 2808589849447024 4833640186847144964 n
283793210 2808589479447061 7428716482868906474 n
628b3afddbe8f
628b3505e192d

The cast of the film includes Sarwat Gilani, Rasti Farooq, Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Sania Saeed, Salmaan Peerzada, and Sohail Sameer in lead roles. Pakistanis are currently hoping that Sadiq brings the trophy back home.

Usman Mukhtar’s Short Film “Bench” Wins Big at South Shore Film Festival, New York. Read the full story here:

Turning heads towards his sheer craft, and adding another milestone to the film industry, the talented and charming Usman Mukhtar’s short film “Bench” has won the best short film award at the South Shore Film Festival, New York. The actor-turned-director and cinematographer have added another feather to his cap by achieving this goal as a Pakistani filmmaker. The talented actress Rubya Chaudhry is worthy of praise for her impactful on-screen presence and strong dialogue delivery.

Usman Mukhtar’s Short Film “Bench” Wins Big at South Shore Film Festival, New York

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more news and updates, stay tuned to Wow 360.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
WhatsApp Image 2022 04 15 at 4.20.03 PM
Culture

Saim Sadiqs Joyland Has Become the First Pakistani Feature Selected for Cannes

by Laiba
written by Laiba
Pakistani filmmaker, Saim Sadiq’s Joyland has made it to the Un Certain Regard category at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

Looks like Pakistanis are on a roll. Recently, Pakistani musician Arooj Aftab bagged a Grammy award, the first in Pakistan. Certainly, Saim Sadiq is on a similar journey. His film Joyland is the first Pakistani feature film selected for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France annually.

Saim has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a graduate degree in film directing from Columbia University. His works include August Sky, The Caretaker, Nice Talking To You and more.

Other contenders from the category include Retour à Séoul by Davy Chou, Beast Riley Keough and Gina Gammell, Burning Days by Emin Alper, Butterfly Vision by Maksim Nakonechnyi, Corsage by Marie Kruetzer, Domingo and the Mist by Ariel Escalante Meza, Godland by Hlynur Pálmason, Metronom by Alexandru Belc, Plan 75 by Hayakawa Chie, Rodeo by Lola Quivoron, Sick of Myself Kristoffer Borgli, The Silent Twins by Agnieszka Smocynska, The Stranger by Thomas M. Wright and Les Pires by Lise Akora and Romane Gueret.

Starring in the feature film alongside actor Ali Junejo, actor Sana Jafri took it to Instagram to announce the film’s nomination with a screenshot from Cannes official website.

Many celebrities and industry experts expressed how proud they felt about the nomination. To name a few, these included Mahira Khan, Sharmeen-Obaid Chinoy, Nimra Bucha, Sarwat Gilani, Mehreen Jabar, and Mehar Bano.

625913edce306
625913d0196e6
625913d0a9f12
625913af474f9
625913af5b6a6
625912f915ec9

Hopefully, Saim Sadiq’s film will bring the prestigious award home.

Arooj Aftab Becomes First Pakistani Woman to Bag a Grammy. Read the full story here:

Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist Arooj Aftab has become the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy. This also makes her the first Pakistani who has won the award. Aftab has scored her first Grammy for the ‘Best Global Performance’ category. She was nominated for her song Mohabbat, which also made it to the 44th president of the United States, Barak Obama’s summer playlist in July of 2021.

Arooj Aftab Becomes First Pakistani Woman to Bag a Grammy

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more news and updates, stay tuned to Wow 360.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail