The Sindh Board of Film Censors has refused to give a censor certificate to “Ghost School,” an award-winning film by British-Pakistani filmmaker Seemab Gul, who wrote, directed, and produced the project. The decision stops the movie from being shown in Sindh, the very province where it was filmed.
The story follows a 10-year-old girl named Rabia, played by Nazualiya Arsalan, who wants to go to school. Her local school shuts down after a rumour spreads that the building is haunted. In the film, a teacher and a village elder use this rumour as an excuse to close the school. It was shot in Chashma Goth and a nearby village near Karachi.
Gul said the Sindh authorities gave no explanation for the rejection, and that the board’s letter only stated the film was “not suitable for public exhibition” after review. She also noted that neither the federal censor board nor authorities in Punjab objected to the film.
Sindh’s Culture Minister, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, defended the decision, saying the 15-member board works independently and must have had a valid reason for its rejection.
Since Gul funded the film herself and handles distribution costs on her own, losing access to Karachi’s market means a real financial setback for her.
Despite the ban, “Ghost School” has earned major international recognition, winning best director at the UK Asian Film Festival, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival with a best film nomination, screening at the Red Sea Film Festival, and receiving an honourable mention at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, plus a special award at the Asian African Latin American Film Festival.
