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Ghost School

Geisterschule
Generation Kplus 2026
© Zamarin Wahdat
Ten-year-old Rabia discovers that the only school in her village has closed. Rumour has it that the school is haunted and the teacher is possessed by a jinn. A fellow pupil brags that he is now going to a boys’ school in the neighbouring village. Jealous and confused, Rabia goes around asking the adults what is going on, but only receives vague responses. As the rumours about the haunted school take over the village, Rabia increasingly comes to doubt them. She dares the village kids to go into the school and exorcise the jinn. But this leads to devastating consequences. Ultimately, Rabia is left with the choice of either becoming a servant or doing something drastic to be able to go to school again. She decides to make a sacrifice, unleashing magical forces.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by Seemab Gul (Director, Screenplay)
with Nazualiya Arsalan, Samina Seher, Adnan Shah Tipu, Vajdaan Shah, Muhammad Zaman Pakistan / Germany / Saudi Arabia 2025 Urdu 88' Colour European premiere | Debut film recommendation: 11 years and up

With

  • Nazualiya Arsalan (Rabia)
  • Samina Seher (Mother)
  • Adnan Shah Tipu (Principal)
  • Vajdaan Shah (Horse Cart Driver)
  • Muhammad Zaman (Teacher)

Crew

Director Seemab Gul
Screenplay Seemab Gul
Cinematography Zamarin Wahdat
Editing Raluca Petre
Music Anna Bauer
Sound Design Andrej Bako
Production Design Cyrus Karanjia
Costumes Faiz Rohani
Make-Up Sajjad Ali
Casting Yousuf Rahman
Producer Seemab Gul
Co-Producers Steffen Gerdes, Dorothe Beinemeier

Produced by

Cinelava

Karachi, Pakistan

Co-produced by

Red Balloon Film

Hamburg, Germany

World Sales

Premium Films / MPM Premium

Paris, France

Photos

Seemab Gul

©Hermione Hodgson

The British-Pakistani filmmaker has a BA in fine art and an MA from the London Film School. Her short film Sandstorm premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and went on to screen at over 100 international festivals, including Sundance, and won 20 awards. It was also nominated for a British Independent Film Award in 2022. Her second feature film, Haven of Hope, participated in La Fabrique Cinéma at Cannes. She is also an alumna of the Locarno Open Doors Producers Lab and Berlinale Talents.

Filmography

2018 Zahida; short documentary 2021 Sandstorm; short film 2025 Climate of Consequences; short documentary · Ghost School; Berlinale 2026 2026 Haven of Hope

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026