In Ghost School, Seemab Gul crafts a deceptively simple yet potent story whose strength lies in its quiet clarity. At its centre is the young girl Rabia, moving and negotiating through the cracks of a broken system with a steadiness and courage that the adults around her seem to have lost. Gul follows her with tremendous warmth, allowing the child’s curiosity and her stubborn resolve to guide the film by observing her world with tenderness and being attentive to the small gestures. Even as it acknowledges the weight of neglect and indifference, the film refuses despair and despite the grimness , it gently finds its way that feels quietly stubbornly hopeful.
Seemab Gul
Seemab Gul is an award-winning British-Pakistani filmmaker who holds a BA in Fine Art and an MA in Filmmaking from the London Film School. Her short film Sandstorm premiered at Venice, screened at Sundance, and earned two Oscar-qualifying awards alongside a BIFA nomination. Her documentary Zahida (2018) was broadcast on Al Jazeera. Ghost School (2025) is her debut feature. She is currently developing an English-language feature with Film4, following her participation in La Fabrique Cinema at Cannes with Haven Of Hope. Seemab is a member of BECTU and Directors UK, and was a Berlinale Talents and Locarno Open Doors Producers Lab fellow.
