Saim Sadiq’s Joyland has been shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards, reported Deadline. The film becomes Pakistan’s first selection in Oscar’s International Feature Film category. Joyland, starring Alina Khan, Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Salman Peerzada, and Sania Saeed, was announced as Pakistan’s official submission in the 95th run of the biggest film awards in September.
In December 21, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled its shortlists for the 2023 Oscars in 10 categories, including documentary and international features as well as a documentary short subject, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, animated short, live-action short, sound and visual effects.
India’s international submission, Last Film Show, also made the cut, while another Indian film, RRR, made the shortlist for its popular track Naatu Naatu. Film’s executive producer Malala Yousafzai, while congratulating Sadiq, expressed her delight over Joyland being shortlisted.
“I am so, so happy for you and your whole team,” Yousafzai told Sadiq while speaking to him on call. “Everyone who was on the screen, behind the screen. You guys have done such a tremendous job! It’s a huge honour for me to be a part of this project. It is such an amazing moment for all the artists and for Pakistan!” She added, “The team must know everyone’s so proud of them.”
To this, Sadiq responded, “Thank you for your work, for playing such an important role. It makes me really proud as well. We make a good team.”
Previously, speaking about the selection of his recent offering, the writer and director had said, “I am humbled, thankful, and excited about this immense honor to represent Pakistan at the Oscars with a film that I truly believe is an honest and compassionate representation of who we are as people. I hope that the joys and sorrows of these characters foster empathy amongst the viewers in Pakistan and abroad. In the coming months, we will need many duas and good wishes from our people for the road ahead.”
The director went on to add, “We always complain about how – despite the presence of many great artists in all fields – Pakistani art has remained grossly underrepresented in the world. This year, however, has been different already. So, I’ll take this moment to feel hopeful. With my gratitude to the selection committee, I wish the best of luck to Joyland and to Pakistan!”
Producers Apoorva Guru Charan and Sarmad Sultan Khoosat have said, “The journey of making Joyland has brought together the most wonderful team from around the world, united in a truly South-Asian, universally human story from Pakistan. We are so grateful to the committee – with this entry, we get to share Joyland with a larger audience. With love from Pakistan, to the world.”
The complete and final list of Oscar nominees will be announced on January 24, 2023, with the presentation show for the 95th Academy Awards scheduled to take place on March 12, 2023.
Here is a complete list of the 10 shortlisted categories, with titles in alphabetical order:
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Bad Axe
Children of the Mist
Descendant
Fire of Love
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song
Hidden Letters
A House Made of Splinters
The Janes
Last Flight Home
Moonage Daydream
Navalny
Retrograde
The Territory
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton
Anastasia
Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison
As Far as They Can Run
The Elephant Whisperers
The Flagmakers
Happiness Is £4 Million
Haulout
Holding Moses
How Do You Measure a Year?
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Nuisance Bear
Shut Up and Paint
Stranger at the Gate
38 at the Garden
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Argentina, Argentina, 1985
Austria, Corsage
Belgium, Close
Cambodia, Return to Seoul
Denmark, Holy Spider
France, Saint Omer
Germany, All Quiet on the Western Front
India, Last Film Show
Ireland, The Quiet Girl
Mexico, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Morocco, The Blue Caftan
Pakistan, Joyland
Poland, EO
South Korea, Decision to Leave
Sweden, Cairo Conspiracy
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
All Quiet on the Western Front
Amsterdam
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Blonde
Crimes of the Future
Elvis
Emancipation
The Whale
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Devotion
Don’t Worry Darling
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Nope
She Said
The Woman King
Women Talking
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Time from Amsterdam
Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength) from Avatar: The Way of Water
Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
This Is A Life from Everything Everywhere All at Once
Ciao Papa from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Til You’re Home from A Man Called Otto
Naatu Naatu from “RRR
My Mind & Me from Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
Good Afternoon from Spirited
Applause from Tell It like a Woman
Stand Up from Till
Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick
Dust & Ash from The Voice of Dust and Ash
Carolina from Where the Crawdads Sing
New Body Rhumba from White Noise
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Black Slide
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
The Debutante
The Flying Sailor
The Garbage Man
Ice Merchants
It’s Nice in Here
More than I Want to Remember
My Year of Dicks
New Moon
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Passenger
Save Ralph
Sierra
Steakhouse
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
All in Favor
Almost Home
An Irish Goodbye
Ivalu
Le Pupille
The Lone Wolf
Nakam
Night Ride
Plastic Killer
The Red Suitcase
The Right Words
Sideral
The Treatment
Tula
Warsha
SOUND
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Moonage Daydream
Top Gun: Maverick
VISUAL EFFECTS
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Jurassic World Dominion
Nope
Thirteen Lives
Top Gun: Maverick
Ashi is a practicing lawyer and associated with TLTP News Wire Service as correspondent since 2020. She has covered The Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony 2022 in Oslo. Can be reached at ashi@tltpnews.com
