Joyland
Frankfurtpremiere in presence lead actress Alina Khan
The youngest son of an oppressive, patriarchal family falls in love with the charismatic transgender musician Biba, with dramatic consequences for the whole family.
Haider, daydreamer and unemployed, is the youngest son of a conservative Pakistani family. While his determined wife Mumtaz earns money as a beautician, he looks after his nieces and cares for his father. When Haider unexpectedly gets a job as a dancer in the show of the charismatic transsexual dancer Biba, Mumtaz - crushed by patriarchal demands - is forced to give up her job. Haider quickly develops deeper feelings for Biba and increasingly finds himself in a moral dilemma: his family expects a son from him while he dreams of his freedom...
"The de-romanticization of a coming of age story and a tribute to all women, men and trans people suffering under patriarchy. And a declaration of love, although heartbroken, to my homeland." (Saim Sadiq)
Director, Writer and Producer: Saim Sadiq • France 2022 • 126 Min • Urdu with engl. subtitles • Cast: Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Sohail Sameer, Salman Peerzada, Sania Saeed
