SHREWSBURY FILM

Film Notes: Joyland

DirectorSaim Sadiq
CountryPakistan
Year2022

In an effort to reduce our paper usage, we stopped offering printed copies of our popular Film Notes at our screenings.

Instead, we are encouraging our members to read the Film Notes online. For those who wish to do so, it is still possible to print these pages prior to the film.

Alternatively, if you want to read the notes just before or just after the film, and also minimise your paper consumption, then you can scan the QR code to your phone and then download the webpage.

Our Next Film

Friday 20 February 2026

Joyland

15 | Pakistan | 2022 | Urdu, subtitled | 126 mins

Director: Saim Sadiq
In Lahore, a man secretly joins an erotic dance troupe and falls for a transgender performer. “Joyland” explores gender, tradition, and desire with tenderness and tension, breaking cinematic ground while portraying the cost of defiance in a repressive society.
To see all the films that we are showing, please visit our What’s On page
A bold, tender rendering of forbidden love. - Variety
Weaves humor, politics, and emotional depth fluidly. - The New Yorker
©2026 Shrewsbury Film - screening the best current and classic films from around the world.
Regular film screenings at the Hive, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. SY1 1TE
The Hive Media and Arts Centre Film Hub Midlands Cinema For All Film Audience Network Sponsored by Lanyon Bowdler