Video: Sandstorm

In Seemab Gul’s short film “Sandstorm,” a schoolgirl in Karachi sends a dance video to her virtual boyfriend, but her innocent flirtation turns dark when he attempts to blackmail her.

Running time: 19 minutes.

Seemab Gul is a British-Pakistani filmmaker who works as a producer, writer and director. Her work is interdisciplinary, immersed in the current political dialogue, and focuses on the outsider experience. Her portfolio includes documentaries, drama, hybrid films and art installations. She has produced over ten short films and directed half of them. 

Seemab produced, wrote and directed SANDSTORM, a short fiction film that premiered at the 78th Venice Film Festival and at Sundance 2022. It screened at over 100 international film festivals and won 20 awards. SANDSTORM is BIFA-nominated for Best British Short 2022 and won two Oscar-qualifying awards. Her documentary ZAHIDA, was broadcast on Al Jazeera TV channel and its trailer has 20+ million views. Seemab is an alumna of Locarno Open Doors, Berlinale Talents and Venice Biennale College Cinema. She also attended La Fabrique Cinema with her feature project HAVEN OF HOPE, due to release in 2025. She is writing her second feature commissioned by Film4. Seemab has a BA in Fine Art and an MA in Filmmaking from the London Film School. She is represented by Haworth Agency (UK).

Seemab recently founded Cinelava in Pakistan, a production company dedicated to thought provoking arthouse cinema.

To watch a video of the director discussing her film, click here.