In the around 75 years the Cannes Film Festival has been running, it has accumulated prestige and sophistication to it’s name. It’s become a place where the best of the best come together to celebrate movies and filmmakers. And this year, Pakistan is a part of it all.

This is the first year that an entry from Pakistan will be featured in the festival. The movie is called Joyland, and it follows the tale of a married man who falls in love with a transgender woman. The topic has been groundbreaking in the country, breaking all kinds of stereotypical gender roles on screen.

The film was directed by Columbia graduate Saim Sadiq, who is no stranger to film universes surrounded by sexual revolutions. His 2019 film Darling won at both Venice Film Festival and SXSW. 

Movies with subject matter that is considered controversial can be messy coming from anyone, but with their first appearance at Cannes, Pakistan has certainly made a splash. Upon their first screening at the festival, it received a prolonged standing ovation which brought massive amounts of joy to the cast and crew of Joyland.

Films are currently being screened at the film festival until the 28th, and on the final day awards will be announced.