美国国家公共电台 NPR--Briefly banned, Pakistan's ground-breaking 'Joyland' is now a world cinema success

Briefly¹ banned, Pakistan's ground-breaking 'Joyland' is now a world cinema success

Transcript²

Last May an ensemble³ of actors and filmmakers from Pakistan walked the legendary⁴ carpet into the Cannes Film Festival to make national and film history. Joyland became the first feature film from Pakistan ever to screen at Cannes and won both the festival's Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and its Queer Palm for its intimate portrait of a society rarely seen on international screens.

What began as a small independent production among friends at Columbia University's graduate film program became one of the year's biggest success stories in world cinema — and a ground-breaking film about queer desire in a traditional Muslim society.

For 32-year-old first-time filmmaker Saim Sadiq, the film's story of young Pakistanis struggling to overcome the rigid⁵ boundaries of tradition and gender⁶ was rooted in his own coming of age story. "It was a rigidness⁷ I was born into myself – the lines of what you are supposed to do as a boy and as a girl – and by creating characters who are experiencing what I was, I was trying to achieve some level of catharsis."

Joyland is an ensemble story about a multi-generational family living in a shared home under the shadow of a stern, widowed patriarch. One of the film's central characters is named Haidar, an empathetic and soft-spoken young man who has struggled to find work and receives frequent lectures from his father for failing in his responsibilities as a husband and as a man. When Haidar finally finds employment as a backup dancer at a seedy dance theater, it leads him to work for a brilliant performer named Biba played by trans actress Alina Khan. Her confidence and unapologetic sexuality up-ends Haidar's life and as he falls in love with the star, he begins to see his city, and the possibilities for his life, in a radical⁸ new light.

The one thing Muslim characters aren't allowed to be on screen is sexy and I was very excited about doing that.

Filmmaker Saim Sadiq

Sadiq says he was keenly aware of how Pakistan is conventionally portrayed⁹ in world cinema as a desolate¹⁰ land of mosques¹¹ and veiled women soundtracked by the call to prayer — it wasn't what he wanted to show. The result is a film that is as searing in subject matter as it is sensual, filmed in lush colors and intimate close-ups shot entirely¹² on-location in Lahore. "The one thing Muslim characters aren't allowed to be on screen is sexy and I was very excited about doing that." Without being explicit¹³, the film pushes boundaries with its queer love scenes and its portrayal¹⁴ of desire.

But just as Haidar finds reprieve¹⁵ from the stifling¹⁶ family home in Biba's world, his wife Mumtaz played by Rasti Farooq is forced to stay at home and give up her own career under the pressure to begin a family. The film's producer Apoorva Charan says while Joyland is about Haidar's queer awakening¹⁷, it is also "about the burden that women have to bear to allow the space for the men in their lives to have their own coming of age experiences. ... It happens very often in South Asian families and I've definitely seen it happen in my own."

Ali Junejo (left) and Alina Khan in Saim Sadiq's Joyland.

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Alina Khan, who plays Biba says one of the things she most appreciates about the film is that it integrates her character's trans storyline into a collective portrait of Lahore.

But even as Joyland has earned accolades¹⁸, it's also been controversial and divisive at home. Charan says in anticipation¹⁹ of the response in Pakistan, the filmmakers shot alternate scenes and planned ahead for the Pakistani release. The local edition of the film, which pre-emptively did not include some love scenes, was cleared for release last November and selected as Pakistan's official entry to the Oscars. But shortly before it was scheduled to open in cinemas, a campaign accusing the film of inappropriate content led to a last-minute ban. The local campaign against that ban included a passionate²⁰ defense²¹ by one of the film's executive producers, Pakistani Nobel-Prize laureate Malala Yousufzai.

Although the film was eventually unbanned and released in several major cities, it has still not been released in the province of Punjab and its capital city of Lahore, where the story unfolds. The actor Alina Khan who plays Biba and still lives in Lahore says she cried when she found her family would not be able to see it but hopes the decision will eventually be reversed.

Rasti Farooq (left) and Sarwat Gilani in Saim Sadiq's Joyland.

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Sadiq says while the vocal²² backlash in Pakistan has been personally disheartening, he has also been frustrated²³ by the ways the film's nuances have been flattened²⁴ by seemingly positive Western press hailing the film a landmark²⁵ queer film or piece of social activism. "Muslim LGBTQ Film!" You know that sounds exciting and it sounds sensational²⁶. It sells an article better than doing justice to a film from my standpoint and that has happened from the beginning of the film."

Despite the controversies²⁷, the film has already become a small indie success around the world as it arrives in American cinemas. "The discourse²⁸ around the film is the discourse and you can't really control it," Sadiq says. "It's just heartening that whenever the film plays anywhere, the theater is usually packed and that is quite nice to see."

1 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 ensemble   

n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果

参考例句：

• We should consider the buildings as an ensemble.我们应把那些建筑物视作一个整体。
• It is ensemble music for up to about ten players,with one player to a part.它是最多十人演奏的合奏音乐，每人担任一部分。

4 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

5 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

6 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

7 rigidness   

n.坚硬，劲直

参考例句：

8 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

9 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

11 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

12 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

13 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

14 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

15 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

16 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。

17 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

18 accolades   

n.（连结几行谱表的）连谱号( accolade的名词复数 )；嘉奖；（窗、门上方的）桃尖拱形线脚；册封爵士的仪式（用剑面在肩上轻拍一下）

参考例句：

• Unlike other accolades for literature which tend to value style or experimentation. 有别于其他偏重风格活实验性的文学奖项。 来自互联网
• Build your trophy room while amassing awards and accolades. 建立您的奖杯积累奖项和荣誉。 来自互联网

19 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

20 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

21 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

22 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

23 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

25 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

26 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

27 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

28 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。