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Terrific drama shows the battle for girls' education in Afghanistan

The odds are stacked against an all-female robotics team in Rule Breakers, a fantastic film about teaching girls in Afghanistan

By Katie Smith-Wong

12 March 2025

Still from Rule Brakers (2025) — Roya Mahboob (Nikohl Boosheri), centre, with young Afghan people
Angel Studios

Rule Breakers
Directed by Bill Guttentag
US: Out now UK: Released 25 March

Time magazine named Roya Mahboob among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. She was the first Afghan woman to be CEO of a technology firm, having founded the Afghan Citadel Software Company in 2010. She is also co-founder of the country’s all-female robotics team for girls aged 12 to 18, called the Afghan Dreamers.

This is the focus of Rule Breakers, directed and co-written by Bill Guttentag. It tells the story…

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