The Pakistani film Ghost School, which highlights education challenges in Sindh, is set for release in the province after a three-month legal battle. The Sindh High Court has allowed the film to be released without cuts.
Director Seemab Gul approached the court after the Sindh Censor Board sought changes to certain scenes in the film.
Film Explores Education Challenges
Ghost School follows Rabia, a 10-year-old girl, who sets out to discover why the only school in her village has suddenly been shut down.
As Rabia investigates rumours that the abandoned school is haunted, the story uncovers the realities behind the rumours while highlighting the challenges faced by inactive schools and girls seeking access to education in Sindh.
Gul welcomed the court’s decision, telling Geo Digital that she had always wanted people in Sindh to watch the film because its story is closely connected to their own society.
Filmmaker Draws on Personal Connection
The film’s cinematographer, Zamreen Wahdat, is a German filmmaker born in Afghanistan.
In an earlier interview with Geo Digital, Wahdat said the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 and the resulting threats to girls’ education and women’s rights made the subject particularly important to her.
She said this personal connection was one reason she chose to work on Ghost School and did not accept a fee for her cinematography work on the film.
Film Already Screened Internationally
Despite facing legal hurdles over its release in Sindh, Ghost School has already been screened at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival and in at least 11 cinemas across Germany.
According to Gul, the film is scheduled to be released in Punjab and Sindh on October 30.