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The streets of Herat, Afghanistan, are paved not with gold but with scrolling code in the spirited drama “Rule Breakers.” Teacher and startup owner Roya Mahboob believes in the transformative possibilities of computers. Portrayed with a mix of stubbornness and smarts by Nikohl Boosheri, Roya is the kind of ponderer who sees images from computer screens and lines of iridescent code on the building walls and roadways of Herat.

“The first time I touched a computer, it was like a light in the dark,” the young educator says, standing in front of a classroom of rapt high school girls in Herat Province. Something similar could be said of “Rule Breakers,” which tells the story of Roya and the four gifted students she enlists for Afghanistan’s first robotics team.

While director Bill Guttentag leans into the rules of genre more than breaks with them, the film is a beam of light — about math,...

This latest movie from Angel Studios demonstrates that the distributor’s interest in releasing films that veer away from proselytizing is paying off artistically. Relating the true-life story of the Afghan Dreamers, a group of young women who groundbreakingly participated in international robotics competitions, Bill Guttentag’s Rule Breakers proves inspirational in the best sense of the word. The film’s release is perfectly timed for Women’s History Month.

Scripted by the two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker (for the documentary shorts Twin Towers and You Don’t Have to Die), along with Jason Brown and Elaha Mahboob, the film centers on Roya Mahboob (Nikohl Boosheri), whose interest in computers wasn’t exactly encouraged in her native Afghanistan, as demonstrated by an early scene in which she’s nearly assassinated.

When she was a young student, she was ordered to leave the classroom along with the other girls when the teacher began...

Rule Breakers, a powerful, uplifting new film based on an inspirational true story about the Afghan Dreamers, a Muslim girls’ robotics team entering the world of international competitions, will be released on March 7th to coincide with International Women’s Day.

Directed by Bill Guttentag, the film stars Nikohl Boosheri and features Ali Fazal in an extended special appearance. The cast is elevated by the brilliant and talented young team that includes Amber Afzali, Nina Hosseinzadeh, Sara Malal Rowe, and Mariam Saraj. Also featured are Waj Ali, Naseer Memarzia, Nada El Belkasmi, and Noorin Gulamgaus.

Rule Breakers is based on the true story of Roya Mahboob, who longed to learn about and use computers as a young girl in Afghanistan. The film follows her as she strives to learn and eventually succeeds in teaching herself to use a computer at a cafe. This visionary woman spearheaded the creation of a...

In light of the restrictions imposed on women in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul in 2021, Bill Guttentag’s “Rule Breakers” couldn’t feel more urgent. It’s a story that relies on human resilience – women who stand up against all adversities to strive for recognition that is harder for them because of the relatively extremist and regressive regime that they live in. This would consequently mean that the movie that tells their tale should also be somewhat of a standout. Sadly, that’s not the case.

The only rule the movie breaks is being relatively secular about its stance while being distributed by the faith-based “Angel Studios.” I mean, there’s not a single shred of rule-breaking, or reinventing narrative conveniences in this tired, by-the-numbers underdog tale that is only sparingly inspiring. However, even the inspiring part should be attributed to the true story of the “Aghan Dreamers” that the film is based on.

Exclusive: Sound Of Freedom outfit Angel Studios has picked up domestic rights to Rule Breakers (formerly known as Afghan Dreamers), starring Nikohl Boosheri (The Bold Type) and Ali Fazal (Death on the Nile).

A theatrical release is planned for March 2025 of the true story about the first all-girls robotics team from Afghanistan. Angel is also handling international sales on the completed film and will be selling it at AFM in markets that remain open.

Set between 2017 and 2019, Rule Breakers charts the story of a brave Afghan college girl who recruited high school girls to learn robotics – defying fathers, uncles, and tradition to form a highly skilled traveling team. Despite the dangerous backdrop of Afghani politics, the team went on to participate in competitions around the world.

An under-the-radar cast addition is Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), while talent also includes Fahim Fazli (Superman: Legacy), Waj Ali (Carnival Row), Christian Contreras (Halo: Nightfall...