‘Joyland‘’s film director and co-writer Saim Sadiq recently appeared in the episode of The Pakistan Experience podcast, hosted by Shehzad Gias Sheikh. The talented filmmaker finished his MFA at Columbia University, School of Arts and went on to direct award-winning films including ‘Joyland‘ and his short film ‘Darling‘.
In the interview, Saim talked about filmmaking, casting, screenwriting and the process of creating his film ‘Joyland‘.
Pakistan’s current film business landscape
Talking about the film business and the environment in Pakistan, he talked about the plight of producers and filmmakers who struggle to retrieve the money invested despite the hard work put in by the entire team.
“In Pakistan, we have less than 100 theatres. It’s not a great place to do business until or unless you make a ‘Maula Jatt’ but then again you need to have the kind of resources that ‘Maula Jatt’ did.”
We further went on to comment that sometimes films starring big actors also fail to recover the money invested and earn profits.
“Even the big Humayun Saeed films don’t make a lot of money.”
In addition, Saim also went on to discuss how the recent change in technology has caused a shift in viewership and how people watch films on digital platforms. He highlighted this shifting landscape of audience preferences by comparing Kamli and Zindagi Tamasha, two recent releases by Sarmad Khoosat. He emphasized that while Kamli had a theatrical release and Zindagi Tamasha did not, the latter’s digital viewership surpassed Kamli’s significantly. Saim expressed how times are evolving rapidly, acknowledging the enduring fascination with theatrical releases despite the changing dynamics of viewership.
Saim’s process of making Joyland
Saim openly talked about his struggles in releasing and making his film Joyland. He optimistically dealt with all the criticism and rejection that came his way, striving to improve the film’s script by incorporating the feedback he got. He admitted that initially, his “characters would talk the same way he did” and were two-dimensional however he worked on his mistakes and penned down better drafts.
Saim also admitted his struggles with financing his film:
“For seven years, we received no funding until it eventually came. You need to embrace the struggle and avoid expecting too much before the right time arrives.”
Lastly, when asked about the success of Darling, the predecessor to Joyland, in film festivals, Saim shared how despite applying to several Swedish and French funds, the short film didn’t immediately aid in securing funding. He humorously recalled his numerous applications to Sundance, stating, “I applied to Sundance many times.” Later, when the film screened at Sundance, he humorously joked on stage, “Well, my script was rejected three times from their lab. Now I’m here.”
It’s commendable how Saim Sadiq has come a long way by never failing to give up and having an optimistic outlook towards all the rejections he has faced over the years. Our country needs filmmakers like Saim Sadiq who are so dedicated to their craft and have the skill and education alongside talent to produce something that’s outside the box.33
