Miya Miya Film Club and Leftovers Archive Present: Joyland

Miya Miya Film Club is an independent community-led film and arts initiative dedicated to celebrating and elevating the voices of the South West Asian and North African (SWANA) region. At a time when nuanced representations of SWANA cultures are urgently needed, Miya Miya offers a space where film and art become tools for cultural preservation, connection, and resistance. The name "Miya Miya" translates to "100/100" in Arabic, symbolising excellence and positivity. Each event is a vibrant gathering that brings together storytelling, traditional food and music, and intergenerational dialogue—offering audiences both within and beyond the SWANA diaspora a chance to experience the region’s richness on its own terms.

The eleventh feature film in our 2025 program is: : جوائے لینڈ (Joyland, Pakistan, 2022) directed by Saim Sadiq.

Joyland is a groundbreaking Pakistani film that explores queer desire, repression, and the weight of tradition within a conservative family. Centering a tender relationship between a married man and a trans dancer, the film challenges rigid gender roles and expectations. With quiet intensity, Joyland paints a powerful portrait of longing, identity, and defiance.

Joyland is presented in collaboration with Leftovers Archive, a growing multidisciplinary arts platform curated by Aleena Rizvi. Aleena is a Pakistani-Australian filmmaker and curator based on Wallumdegal and Gadigal land. Through Leftovers Archive, Aleena creates a living, breathing space for collective reflection. She asks: what do we salvage and pass on? What does it mean to remember, to resist, and to rebuild through art?

Rooted in the themes of resilience, memory, and cultural resistance, @leftoversarchive brings together artists, filmmakers, musicians, and culinary storytellers to explore how culture endures in the face of loss, displacement, and transformation.

What began earlier this year as a one-night exhibition, it has since evolved into an ongoing curatorial project—an ever-expanding archive of diasporic expression. Through immersive events that combine visual art, film screenings, live music, and communal meals, Leftovers Archive honours the fragments we carry: the languages, rituals, recipes, and rhythms that survive migration, colonialism, and generational change.

Showing before Joyland, will be the documentary short film, Khandaan (2023). Khandaan delves into the Khan family, whose roots trace back to the 1880s during the era of Afghan cameleers and offers a close and personal exploration of their journey which spans six generations in Australia.

Joyland will be shown in Punjabi and Urdu with English subtitles.

For this screening, Miya Miya Film Club and Leftovers Archive will be donating to Pakistani charity, Blue Veins, who were instrumental in implementation of the Transgender Person’s Protection of Rights Act 2018 in Pakistan and are working at improving physical and mental health services for the transgender community in the Khyber Pakhtunkwa region of Pakistan.

Included in your ticket on the night is a hot Pakistani dinner, alongside non-alcoholic drinks from Gaza Cola and Salaam Cola Australia.

Miya Miya prides itself on being a hub of safety, inclusivity, and community. Our events are a safe and inclusive space for all peoples, including our SWANA, First Nations, Black, POC, Jewish, and LGBTQIASB+ friends, and we have zero tolerance for harassment of any kind.

No one turned away for lack of funds. Please contact the @miyamiyafilmclub instagram page for ticketing enquiries.

Miya Miya Film Club meets on unceded Gadigal and Wangal land of the Eora Nation. Miya Miya Film Club acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, waters, and community. Miya Miya Film Club pays its respects to the people, the cultures, and the Elders past and present and emerging. Always was, always will be. Miya Miya Film Club also acknowledges the people of Palestine and their rights for self-determination. We acknowledge the devastation and mass atrocities continuing in Gaza and hope that through greater awareness and collective action, we can work towards a world free from genocide, violence, and injustice. Always was, always will be.