A version of this interview with “Joyland” director Saim Sadiq first appeared in the International Film issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
First-time feature director Saim Sadiq’s tender, gritty, local-color-infused tale of Haider, an introverted married man (Ali Junejo) who falls in love with trans woman performer Biba (Alina Khan), was the first Pakistani film to ever premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and the Queer Palme.
We spoke with Sadiq before Pakistan’s Ministry Of Information and Broadcasting banned “Joyland” for “highly objectionable material,” which would have prevented its domestic theatrical release and jeopardized its Oscar eligibility. The country’s censor board review committee did not uphold the ban and gave the film the green light for a theatrical release.
What is the film climate like in Pakistan?
Making an independent film is, as it is in America, very hard. The total number of movies hat we make in a year is probably under 50. But on the flip side, people are so eager and happy, like, “Oh, you want to shoot in my home? Please come here!” Which is quite sweet and heartening. This is a land of over 200 million people with a lot of stories to tell and a lot of talent that is absolutely untapped.
While not sexually graphic, the movie is forthright about the desire between Haider and Biba. Did you have any run-ins with censorship?
Honestly, no, because when you make your first film, nobody really knows that you’re making a film, so nobody’s really paying attention. (Laughs) But sometimes (the film board) will just tell you to shorten a scene or take the cuss words out. We shot alternatives in a certain way to get the point across, but without having to see any sort of graphic kissing, etc. I do want to give them credit for the fact that they passed it through. It was a pleasant surprise.
Tell us about casting your leading actors.
Ali (Junejo) is a theater actor. This was his first movie. We found him after a huge struggle of six months of casting, where we couldn’t find anyone because it was not the kind of character that is going to do any action. He doesn’t even get to have a big climactic showdown — he’s pretty recessive. With Alina (Khan), it was different because she is not a trained actor at all, and a lot of people think because she’s a trans actor, that she’s playing a version of herself, which is not true. I really need to get very friendly with the actors and be their friend, because I think that’s the only way for them to trust me and for me to trust them.
Some international features feel like they’re made with the global market in mind, but “Joyland” is refreshingly lived-in, free of political correctness or judgment, including a heated moment in which Alina’s character unleashes a gay slur at Ali. Was that intentional?
100 percent. If a character says a certain thing which is not okay, I need to allow the character to say that thing in the moment. That is not my endorsement as a human or as a filmmaker of that act. But I can also not make a promotional video about good behavior, you know. The more honest it is, the better it is. I guess that’s the only barometer in cinema.
Read more from the International Film issue here.
First-time feature director Saim Sadiq’s tender, gritty, local-color-infused tale of an introverted married man falling in love with a trans woman performer
was the first Pakistani film to ever premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and the Queer Palme.
What is the film climate like in Pakistan?
Making an independent film is, as it is in America, very hard. The total number of movies that we make in a year is probably under 50. But on the flip
side, people are so eager and happy, like, “Oh, you want to shoot in my home? Please come here!” Which is quite sweet and heartening. This is a land
of over 200 million people with a lot of stories to tell and a lot of talent that is absolutely untapped.
While not sexually graphic, the movie is forthright about the desire between Haider and Biba. Did you have any run-ins with censorship?
Honestly no, because when you make your first film, nobody really knows that you’re making a film, so nobody’s really paying attention. (Laughs) But
sometimes (the film board) will just tell you to shorten a scene or take the cuss words out. We shot alternatives in a certain way to get the point across,
but without having to see any sort of graphic kissing, etc. I do want to give them credit for the fact that they passed it through. It was a pleasant
surprise.
Tell us about casting your leading actors.
Ali (Junejo) is a theater actor; this was his first movie. We found him after a huge struggle of six months of casting, where we couldn’t find anyone
because it was not the kind of character that is going to do any action. He doesn’t even get to have a big climactic showdown—he’s pretty recessive.
With Alina (Khan), it was different because she is not a trained actor at all, and a lot of people think because she’s a trans actor, that she’s playing a
version of herself, which is not true. I really need to get very friendly with the actors and be their friend, because I think that’s the only way for them to
trust me and for me to trust them.
Honestly no, because when you make your first film, nobody really knows that you’re making a film, so nobody’s really paying attention. (Laughs) But
sometimes (the film board) will just tell you to shorten a scene or take the cuss words out. We shot alternatives in a certain way to get the point across,
but without having to see any sort of graphic kissing, etc. I do want to give them credit for the fact that they passed it through. It was a pleasant
surprise.
Tell us about casting your leading actors.
Ali (Junejo) is a theater actor; this was his first movie. We found him after a huge struggle of six months of casting, where we couldn’t find anyone
because it was not the kind of character that is going to do any action. He doesn’t even get to have a big climactic showdown—he’s pretty recessive.
With Alina (Khan), it was different because she is not a trained actor at all, and a lot of people think because she’s a trans actor, that she’s playing a
version of herself, which is not true. I really need to get very friendly with the actors and be their friend, because I think that’s the only way for them to
trust me and for me to trust them.