The members of an all-female robotics team from Afghanistan, most of whom narrowly fled the country after the Taliban's brutal takeover, are the subjects of a new documentary charting the group's rise to become national heroes, as revealed by Variety.
Directed by David Greenwald and produced by Beth Murphy, “Afghan Dreamers,” named for the original team of six girls, is in post-production, though it is currently on hold as the couple frantically work to ensure the young women and their families are safe. and protected. safe after escaping from the Taliban.
"On the way from Herat to Kabul, we were very scared," read a tense message from a team member, shared with Variety, as he sought to escape. “Every hour, the Taliban would enter the car and check the interior of the car. I myself was in a tent [burqa] in the car so they wouldn't recognize me. My father is worried about us, because our lives are in danger."
Throughout this ordeal, the "Afghan Dreamers" creative team, which includes producer David Cowan and Oscar-winning doc filmmaker Ellen Goosenberg Kent as consulting producer, has transcended their roles as mere witnesses documenting an incredible journey. . Murphy, a 20-year nonfiction veteran who was first in Afghanistan when the Taliban was overthrown in 2001, says she didn't move from one place for four straight days while working alongside US Special Forces to present an "overwhelming amount". of paperwork to evacuate 54 different family members from the team. These people are now safe in a Doha camp, where they will eventually travel to the US via Mexico.
“It's life or death every second and the ups and downs have been incredible,” Murphy tells Variety, noting that her efforts are now focused on the three remaining families. Getting people to the Kabul airport, she says, is the most challenging leg of the mission.
“Sometimes we think, ‘Success, success! They are going to open the gate [to the airport]!’ And then we hear that the Taliban have said that they are going to search their bus. It's been an absolute and total white-knuckle panic."
The robotics team is a first in Afghanistan, where under Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, women were virtually under house arrest and prohibited from working or receiving an education. Based in Herat, the third largest city in the country, the group is made up of about 25 girls between the ages of 12 and 18. The original members of the team, some of whom have already graduated, are called 'Afghan Dreamers' and are the focus of the film.
“It is important to realize that they grew up in a world where girls were not allowed to ride bicycles. They were not allowed to smile in public,” says Greenwald. “But they have traveled and gotten to see a different world, and they have come a long way in realizing what freedom really means. So the idea of the Taliban coming in and just turning back the clock on these young people is very difficult for all of us."
The team was founded by Afghan tech entrepreneur Roya Mahboob, who was asked in 2016 by FIRST Global, the organizers of an Olympic-style robotics competition, to put together an Afghanistan team. The resulting team had a difficult journey obtaining visas to compete in international competitions, particularly for the US, but has since amassed a following and inspired scientific communities around the world with their skills and perseverance.
Greenwald, whose credits include "Truffle Hunters" director Michael Dweck's "The Last Race" and "The Blech Effect," was first tipped off about the team in a question-and-answer session about one of his films, where a breathless audience member recounted his experience. him hiding the team at his California residence after security issues arose during a trip to the United States.
"I didn't really know a lot about robotics and my background didn't include things that were international in scope," says Greenwald, who quickly recruited Murphy, whose work has largely focused on women's rights and girls' education, to join the project.