Pakistan’s government has blocked the nationwide screening of “Joyland,” the first Pakistani film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, just a week before it was due to hit theaters in the South Asian country.   

  “Joyland” tells a love story between the youngest son of “a happily patriarchal joint family” and a transgender starlet he meets after sneaking into an erotic dance theater, according to a synopsis on the Cannes Film Festival website.   

  In August, the country’s Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) granted a certificate allowing the film to be released, but on Friday Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a notice saying it was now “uncertified”.   

  The official notification said written complaints had been received that the film contains “highly objectionable material” that does not conform to the “social values ​​and moral standards of our society”.   

  The ministry’s release said cinemas under CBFC’s jurisdiction cannot screen the film.   

  “Joyland” won the Un Certain Regard jury prize and the unofficial Queer Palm at Cannes in May.  It was then submitted to the Oscars as Pakistan’s official entry for the international feature film award.  However, it must be in theaters for at least seven days before November 30 to remain in contention for the awards.   

  Despite its ban in Pakistan, “Joyland” could qualify for this category if it is “exhibited theatrically outside the US and its territories for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial theater for paid admission,” according to the official rules of the Academy.   

  On Tuesday, a close aide to Pakistan’s prime minister tweeted that a “high-level committee” was assessing the complaints against Joyland and was reviewing its ban.   

  “The committee will assess the complaints as well as the merit to decide on her release in Pakistan,” said consultant Salman Sufi.   

  The review comes after the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan released a statement on Sunday condemning the government’s withdrawal of certification for “Joyland” as “rabidly transphobic” and a violation of the filmmakers’ right to freedom of expression.   

  “The public of Pakistan has the right to decide what to watch,” the statement said.   

  Saim Sadiq, the film’s director, argued in an Instagram post that the ministry’s overthrow was “absolutely unconstitutional and illegal” and urged them to reconsider.   

  “Give back the right of our citizens to be able to watch the film that made their country’s cinema proud around the world,” Sadiq wrote.   

  “Our film was screened and certified by all three censor boards in August 2022. The 18th amendment of the constitution of Pakistan gives all provinces the autonomy to take their own decision.  However, the Ministry suddenly caved in under pressure from some extremist factions – who have not seen the film – and making a mockery of our federal censor board by making their decision irrelevant.”   

  The ban has sparked public outcry and a social media campaign using the hashtag #releasejoyland.   

  Rusty Farooq, one of the actresses in the film, posted on Instagram supporting the efforts to release it.   

  “I stand by my film, and everything it says, with every fiber of my being,” Farooq said.   

  Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed, who stars in the fifth season of Netflix’s “The Crown,” has also weighed in.   

  “Joyland has made Pakistan proud by becoming the first South Asian film to win the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.  It is a story of our people told by our people for our people.  Hoping to make it accessible to those very people #ReleaseJoyland,” he tweeted.