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Each time, Joyland by Saim Sadiq receives bigger applause. The performers experienced another historic moment as the short gay play received another prize at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne after receiving a standing ovation and winning at Cannes (IFFM). We couldn"t be happier that Joyland was named a winner in the prestigious festival"s Best Film from the Subcontinent category!

Since the outbreak, the IFFM, which is presently taking place through August 30th, began with its first physical event on August 12. The audience could view snippets from the award presentation live on the event"s official Instagram feed.

"Congratulations team Joyland for Best Film from the Subcontinent," read the footage as director Sadiq and actor Alina Khan entered the stage to accept their trophy.

Another video showed the Indian producer Apoorva Charan wishing India a "happy birthday" and Pakistan a "happy birthday" on stage in honour of Pakistan"s 75th anniversary of independence. "Last Diwali, I was in Lahore and the cast members helped me celebrate on site and it made it very wonderful for me," she said as she accepted the prize.

In the category, Joyland was up against Lunana: The Newspaper from Sri Lanka, No Land"s Man and Rehana Maryam Noor from Bangladesh, A Yak in the Classroom from Bhutan, and No Land"s Man.

The Express Tribune quoted Saim as saying about Joyland: "Emotionally, observingly, if I"ve seen a vulnerable period in my mother or aunt, I have instilled that in Joyland. You start to question whether it makes you any less of a man when you feel as though you don"t belong in that boys" club and how it doesn"t come naturally to you. You begin to doubt the idea of masculinity when you have no interest in cricket or other "masculine attributes." Why are those nuances so rigid? Why do they needlessly restrain you? Those things did find their way into the film. Knowledge of the privileges associated with being a man also entered Joyland.

The story of the youngest child of a patriarchal household, who is expected to have a boy with his bride, is told in Joyland, a story of the sexual revolution. As an alternative, he attends an erotic dancing club and develops feelings for a trans woman.