t’s such a glorious time to be a fan of Pakistani cinema. The last few months have seen impressive projects like Ghabrana Nahi Hai and Kamli make their way to the big screen, and the long-awaited The Legend of Maula Jatt is now busy making a splash at the box office (or so we hope).

Our movie-loving hearts are bursting at the seams, and the next few months promise to be just as rewarding.

Out soon is Joyland, a project that has taken Pakistani cinema to new heights and earned international acclaim. A new teaser trailer for the film gives us a glimpse at just why the world is mesmerized by this Saim Sadiq masterpiece. The brief clip presents a quick look at scenes – a birthday celebration, a dance performance, and so on – from the movie, and while it doesn’t reveal much, it is enticingly artistic and definitely leaves us wanting more.

The tale of a patriarchal family that yearns for the birth of another boy while the younger son (Ali Junejo) falls for a transgender dancer (Alina Khan), Joyland won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and the Queer Palm honour at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It has also been selected as Pakistan’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at next year’s Academy Awards. And Malala Yousafzai recently joined the project’s team as an executive producer. Joyland will be out in local cinemas on November 18.

The other trailer that has caught our attention is for the upcoming action and comedy film Money Back Guarantee, which stars the man of the moment, Maula Jatt himself: Fawad Khan.

The preview kicks off with a dialogue about the apparently tight but actually shoddy security of a building, a lingering shot of a vault, and masked men approaching the safe’s door. Action apparently ensues.

The film also stars Wasim Akram – whose character appears to be running for election – and his wife Shaniera Akram – who has revealed that her twelve days on set included “a sprained ankle, a bathroom lock in, a painful tetanus shot, sleepless nights, loads of Lay’s masala chips, language barriers to the next level, a romantic moment, and an unforgettable chandelier stunt that gave me an out of body experience”. The cast also includes the likes of Mikaal Zulfiqar, Ayesha Omar, Javed Sheikh, and Hina Dilpazir.

Written, produced, and directed by Faisal Qureshi, the film proudly comes to us “from the creators of … nothing yet” and is “inspired by true events lifted from different movies”, a line that is refreshingly self-aware and also gives us action thriller spoof vibes, and we’re all for it! Money Back Guarantee will be released on April 21 next year.

– S.A.