Riz Ahmed praises Pakistani film Joyland: ‘Amazing storytelling, writing, acting, and artistry’

Oscar-winner Riz Ahmed, who onboarded Pakistani drama film Joyland as an executive producer last year, has once again heaped praises on the Saim Sadiq directorial. The Sound of Metal actor took to his Instagram handle and applauded the film for its amazing performances and storytelling.

On Saturday, Ahmed took to Instagram and posted a picture with Joyland actors Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Ali Junejo, and Alina Khan.

He wrote in the caption, “You might hear a lot of talk about how Joyland is a groundbreaking film. And it is. First Pakistani film to get into Cannes Film Festival, the first to win all these awards across the world, the first queer love story to be released in Pakistan, and the first to make an impact like this,” he captioned the post while adding that the film is so much more than what it has achieved so far.

“But beyond all of those ways it makes history, I guarantee you this film will just make you laugh, smile, and cry. Amazing storytelling, writing, acting, and artistry,” the Emmy-winning actor wrote.

Joyland follows a patriarchal family craving for the birth of a baby boy to continue the family line, while their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for a trans woman.

Earlier last year, Ahmed’s production house Left Handed Films released a statement announcing their onboarding with Joyland when the film was inching closer to its Oscar nomination. “Saim Sadiq’s filmmaking is both understated and gut-wrenching. His writing is consistently unexpected — both unflinchingly joyous and devastating. Every scene is so elegantly composed yet bursting with vividly raw characters and performances. Joyland is one of the best films of the year, and against all odds of resources and marketing budgets, it’s been amazing to see festival juries, audiences, and critics shouting that from the rooftops,” read the statement.

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