LAHORE: The Punjab government has barred the screening of Pakistan’s Oscar contender Joyland, a day before its screening and a day after it was cleared by the federal government.

The provincial information department said that it had received a multitude of complaints against the film, which resulted in the decision.

Only a day earlier, the federal censor board had approved the film for release after a week of intense debate over the film which has a trans person in one of the lead roles.

The film had originally been approved for screening in August, while in September it was finalized as Pakistan’s Oscar nomination in the International Feature Film category.

Saim Sadiq, the film’s director and writer, told Aaj Digital a day earlier that in the August review, the censors identified some content which was edited out following which the film was cleared for release.

The decision to approve the film for screening resulted in criticism from right-wing groups, led by the Jamaat-e-Islami and its Senator Mushtaq Ahmed.

The senator, who had welcomed the federal governmnet’s decision to ban the film on November 11, accused it of capitulating to ‘external pressure and secular lobby’ after it gave the film the all-clear a day earlier.

The filmmakers, including co-producer Sana Jafri, said that they were in discussion with the Punjab government over its decision.

She said cinema owners in Lahore have informed the team that they would not be screening the film unless it is approved by the Punjab government.

The film is scheduled to screen at the Nueplex cinema in Karachi, with tickets available.

Here is a screenshot from the cinema’s website.