Pakistan reverses ban on transgender romance movie

A Pakistani film portraying romance between a married man and a transgender woman was cleared for domestic screenings on Wednesday, officials said, reversing a government ban forced by Islamist pressure. Lauded by critics, awarded the Jury Prize at Cannes, and nominated as Pakistan’s entry for next year’s Academy Awards, the movie Joyland was set to open in cinemas across the country on Friday. But following objections, Pakistan’s information ministry stepped in last week to issue a veto declaring the film “repugnant to the norms of decency and morality” and ordered a review by censors. But Muhammad Tahir Hassan, head of the Central Board of Film Censors, said that “there is no hindrance from the board for its screening”.