Saim Sadiq (Pakistani Film Director) Biography

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Saim Sadiq is a Pakistani screenwriter and director known for his debut feature film Joyland (2022), which became the first Pakistani film selected for the Cannes Film Festival.
He grew up in a middle-class, conservative family in Rawalpindi.
Sadiq is also a filmmaker who directed the short film Darling (2019), the first Pakistani film to premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

Education	MFA In Film Direction/Screenwriting
College/University	Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan Columbia University School of the Arts
Degree	BSc with honors in Anthropology (2014)

School	Saint Mary’s Academy in Pakistan

Marital Status	Unmarried
Affairs/Girlfriends	Maggie Briggs (filmmaker)

Parents

Father	Name
Mother	Name

Siblings

Abeer Sadiq (Information Technology Analyst at Coles in Melbourne, Australia)

Debut

Direction

Short Film	The Letters of Mikael Muhammad (2015)
Feature Film	Joyland (2022)

Awards

Model United Nations (MUN) award while pursuing graduation
Vimeo’s Best Director Award at Columbia University Film Festival for the short film Nice Talking To You
Kodak Gold Award for directing Nice Talking To You
Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film at the 76th Venice International Film Festival for Darling (2019)
Special Jury Mention at SXSW 2020 for Darling
Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for Joyland (2022)
Queer Palm award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for Joyland (2022)
Vice Chancellor’s Alumni Achievement Award (VC AAA) from LUMS
Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film at the 76th Venice Film Festival for Darling (2019)

Other Works

Short Films	Nice Talking To You (2019) - Official selection at SXSW 2019, Palm Springs 2019, BAFTA Shortlist for Best Student Film Darling (2019) - Official selection at TIFF 2019, acquired by Focus Features

1. Joyland was the inaugural Pakistani movie featured at the Cannes Film Festival.
2. Tamasha media production company was co-founded.
3. Focus on creating documentaries about children and minorities in Pakistan.
4. Various short films and music videos were directed.
5. Recipient of multiple international film awards.
6. Joyland was the first Pakistani film to be made with only American funding.
7. Joyland was initially banned in Pakistan but later released with heavy censorship.
8. Joyland was shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards in the International Feature Film category.
9. Joyland screened in the Spotlight section at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.