A Pakistani movie, Joyland that tells of the story of love between an engaged man and a transgender female was not able to be made available in his country due to the fact that the film – which was awarded during the Cannes Film Festival- was accepted by the censorship authorities however, it was banned by the government.
This film was awarded the “Queer Palm” LGBT award in May at Cannes and will be representing Pakistan at the upcoming Oscars was scheduled to premiere at the cinemas in Pakistan this Friday. However, it will not be in the event that it is allowed to go ahead.
“It’s like moving back two steps each when we advance,” Kami Sid, an activist and model spoke out on Wednesday. “I’m disappointed to be a part of my own country and for my film industry, and most of all people who identify as transgender” the model added.
While the rights of transgender people are guaranteed under law, the majority of transgender individuals living in Pakistan are left at the margins of society of society, often beggars, dancing at weddings, or prostituting themselves to make ends meet.
Joyland is an account of the youngest son of an Pakistani family, under the supervision of the patriarch who is in the love of a transgender cabaret performer.
Their relationship highlights the insanity of relationships within the multigenerational family where sexuality is a taboo topic and there is a clash between tradition and modernity.
