Pakistan’s ‘Joyland’ To Receive French Release To Still Qualify For Oscars Despite Local Ban

deadline.com:

Saim Sadiq’s Joyland will receive a theatrical release in France from November 22 so that it can still qualify for the Oscars, despite being banned in its home country of Pakistan.

The film is Pakistan’s official submission to the Best International Feature category of the Academy Awards, but was banned by Pakistan’s Ministry Of Information and Broadcasting just one week before its local theatrical release on November 18.

It will now receive a one-week Oscar-qualifying theatrical run through its French distributor Condor Films, ahead of a longer release in France in December.   “The Oscar qualifying run pre-release has been confirmed at Aix en Provence Cinémas Mazarin and Renoir, one of the top ten arthouse cinemas in France,” Condor Films told Deadline. “It will play from 22 November every day for a week at 18:00.

It will be followed by a nationwide release in France on the 28th of December.” According to Academy rules, films submitted for the Best International Feature category must complete a seven-day theatrical run in their country of origin by November 30.