Seemab Gul’s award-winning film 'Ghost School' barred from cinemas in Sindh

Exploreing girls’ education and 'ghost schools', it cannot be screened in the province after certification was refused

British-Pakistani filmmaker Seemab Gul’s award-winning film Ghost School, inspired by Pakistan’s so-called “ghost schools”, has been refused certification by the Sindh Board of Certification, preventing it from being screened in cinemas in the province where its story is set.

The decision has prompted debate around artistic freedom, girls’ education and the ability of filmmakers to examine difficult social realities through cinema.

Speaking in an interview with Chalti Tasveerain, Gul appealed to the Sindh Board of Certification to reconsider its decision.

“I would like to request the Sindh Board of Certification to reconsider their decision. This is a film from a child’s perspective to inspire, debate, ask questions, and promote education in Pakistan. We have asked them to give us a reason. They haven’t given us a reason,” she said.

The film has already travelled widely on the international festival circuit. It won the Best Director award at the UK Asian Film Festival and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was nominated in a major competition category.

Ghost School was also screened at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, received an honourable mention at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and won a special award at the Asian, African and Latin American Film Festival.

 

 

 

 

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Yet despite its international screenings and accolades, the film has not been screened in Sindh — the very province where its story unfolds.

At the heart of the film is 10-year-old Rabia, who sets out to discover why the only school in her rural village has shut down. Through her perspective, the film explores girls’ education, resilience and the corruption and dysfunction that can affect publicly funded schools.

Gul describes the phenomenon explored in the film as a widespread problem.

“Ghost schools are basically empty schools. They’re schools which are no longer used for the purpose of education. Sometimes they were never finished. They did not have windows, or doors, or water, electricity, or gas. Other times, they were finished and the teachers started teaching and somehow they stopped,” she said.

The issue is particularly significant in Pakistan, where millions of children remain outside the formal education system. “There are 26 million children out of school in Pakistan,” she added.

For Gul, the certification decision raises questions beyond the fate of a single film. She is calling on the board to reconsider and allow audiences to engage with a story she says is intended to encourage discussion and promote education.