Poster of ‘Joyland’
| Photo Credit: Khoosat Films
Pakistan’s prime minister has ordered a review of the ban on the country’s Oscar entry, Joyland, days after the measure was imposed, one of his advisers said.
The movie, which features a love story between a married man and a transgender woman, is Pakistan’s entry for next year’s Academy Awards and was a prizewinner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
But the film caused controversy in Muslim-majority Pakistan and state censors last week banned its showings at movie theatres, reversing a previous all-clear for release.
According to a tweet late on Monday from Salman Sufi, an adviser to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, a high-level committee is being set up to assess Joyland and review the ban.
Transgender people are considered outcasts by many in Pakistan, despite some progress with a law that protects their rights and a landmark Supreme Court ruling designating them as a third gender.
The movie’s director, Saim Sadiq, called the ban “unconstitutional and illegal.” Joyland was scheduled for release in Pakistan on Friday.
