Sindh censor board blocks award-winning film ‘Ghost School’ without ‘giving any reason’

The Sindh Board of Film Censors has refused to grant a censor certificate to the film “Ghost School”, preventing the project from screening in the province where the production took place. Written, directed, and produced by British-Pakistani filmmaker Seemab Gul, the movie highlights the issue of ghost schools and obstacles to girls’ education.

The plot follows 10-year-old Rabia, played by Nazualiya Arsalan, who seeks to pursue an education. Her local school closes after a rumour spreads that the building is haunted. A teacher and a village elder use the rumour as a pretext to shut the institution.

Filming took place in Chashma Goth and another village on the outskirts of Karachi.

Gul stated that the Sindh authorities provided no explanation for the rejection. In a letter sent by the secretary of the Sindh Board of Film Censors, the board stated, “After careful examination and due deliberation, the board found the film not suitable for public exhibition.”

“I have no information what the board members found objectionable in the film,” Gul told a private media outlet, noting that the federal censor board and authorities in Punjab raised no objections to the project.

Sindh Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah told a private media outlet that the 15-member board acts as an autonomous body authorised to issue film licences. Shah stated that the board must have had a valid reason for rejecting the application.

Gul financed the film and manages distribution costs independently. Withholding the certificate in Karachi cuts the project off from the largest market in the country, creating financial losses for the producer.

The film received the best director award at the UK Asian Film Festival and debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the project received a nomination in the best film category.

The movie screened at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah and earned an honourable mention at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. The project also won a special award at the Asian African Latin American Film Festival.