Ghost School is based on the serious issue of non-functional public schools in Pakistan. Minority-Review’s Swati Sharan interviews director Seemab Gul to find out more

How did you go about scouting for the location and what were some of the film techniques you used?

I was supposed to shoot for a different film and that film got postponed. So I decided to shoot Ghost School, a film which was only in its development or treatment stage. While I was writing the first draft of the script at this time last year, I started looking for locations and started casting even knowing that I was going to make this debut feature no matter what. In two months, I wrote 8 drafts of the script while meeting child actors and looking at locations. The most number of ghost schools exist on the outskirts of Karachi in Sindh province. There’s rumoured to be 7000 ghost schools just in Sindh. So Karachi is in Sindh and I wanted a microcosm of a village that has only one school in a fishing village. I chose Chashmagaur on the outskirts of Karachi as my main location. We shot some elements in a village called Darshanarchano, which translates to ‘the village of education’, where the schools are run half by the government and half by NGOs. The mismanagement of schools and the corruption and neglect is very widespread.

Were you a social worker that got into filmmaking or were you a filmmaker that got into social work?

My background is fine art actually, fine art painting. I am very much into image making. I have a very good understanding of classical visual narrative, which can tell a thousand words. After fine art, I did not pursue painting. It’s too difficult to do in London. Eventually, after a lot of activism – anti-war activism and human rights activism – I decided to go to the London Film School to do a masters in filmmaking. I wanted to create something that would challenge me throughout my life and throughout my career and documentary filmmaking is good and it’s accessible. But I found it’s more challenging to make fiction films with actors which incorporates many different art forms including music, sound effects, design/interior design and dramatic arts and theatre. It’s an incredible art form. I am totally passionate about it.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in multiple countries. I grew up in Pakistan between Karachi and Islamabad. We travelled to USA for a little while in my pre-teens. And then I also did my O levels in London. I did my Bachelors in the UK and then eventually my masters at the London Film School. It’s an interesting question. Sometimes I think I haven’t grown up yet, especially after becoming a filmmaker. A lot of people don’t take this career seriously especially in South Asia. Some people in my family still think I haven’t grown up.

You’ve been able to bring out the beautiful sense of innocence in the film with the child and looking at things through the child’s lens. How were you able to create that?

I just got very lucky with an excellent actress, Nazualiya Arsalan, and she really was my creative partner in the sense that my research into her world and how she perceives the world and how she understood the script. We sometimes changed lines just learning from her and observing other kids. Eventually the concept and the premise was that a child would go around asking questions to adults and adults would give her kind of vague and misleading answers. So it’s basically a child discovering the adult world and discovering what is corruption, bribery and mismanagement. She was my best ally as a very sensitive performer and a great listener.

How did you get funding for the film?

Unfortunately, because I was too eager to make my debut feature film, I was so ready for it, I ended up self-financing. I am still in a lot of debt for it which is not the ideal way of making films and it’s not a sustainable way. But I did put in my life savings. I borrowed a lot of money. So beg, borrowing and stealing as they say.  Eventually, in post-production I got a Hamburg Film Fund while Red Balloon Films were my co-production partners and the Red Sea Foundation who were my partners from Saudi Arabia, I got support from the Red Sea Fund. It was for post-production only.

Have you picked up a distributor yet or are you looking for one?

Yes. I am pleased to announce MPM Premium World Sales have picked up Ghost School and are working in collaboration with me.

When can we expect to see this be a South Asian release or a world release?

I hope as soon as possible.  But usually, films go around festivals at least the first 6 months to a year and then I am hoping to find distribution in Pakistan in the summer hopefully if not sooner. And anything is possible in North America now that we are at TIFF.