Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
Not every champion bounces a ball, swings a bat or throws a pass. In a culture in which women have long been viewed as second-class citizens, an all-girl robotics team from Afghanistan broke all of the rules to prove there are no limits to what can be accomplished when hearts and minds are free.
Acclaimed director and screenwriter Bill Guttentag shares their inspiring story in “Rule Breakers,” a film distributed by Angel Studios hit theaters nationwide on March 7.
“In some ways, it feels like a two-hour ad for girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), which is really important,” he told Metro Voice News. “But t I also like to think we are a movie that’s compelling and that people will want to see it. What we are trying to do in some ways is to be like a sports movie that makes you care about the characters. That’s important to us.”
Guttentag is well-qualified to help the girls tell their story. He won an Academy Award for the documentary “Twin Towers.” He also has earned a second Oscar, three additional Oscar nominations, a Peabody Award, three Emmy Awards, three additional Emmy nominations, two Writers Guild Award nominations, a Producers Guild Award nomination and a Robert Kennedy Journalism Award.
With his track record, Guttentag can be selective about which projects to pursue. He immediately saw the potential in the story of the Afghan robotics team when one of his cowriters, Jason Brown, presented it to him.
“He is an excellent writer who had written about Roya Mahboob, who is at the center of the film,” he said. “He called me and said, `I have an idea that would make a good movie.’ Anyone who has spent time in the entertainment industry has heard those lines before, and often they are not true, but in this case it was extremely true. I thought the story was compelling. I was touched by it.”
Mahboob shared her story with Guttentag and Brown in regular Zoom calls during the pandemic. “It struck me not only as a meaningful story but almost like a sports story,” Guttentag said. “Although the story is set in the robotics world, `Miracle,’ a film, I love, is set in the hockey world, and you don’t have to be a hockey fan to think it’s a great movie.”
Elaha Mahboob collaborated with Guttentag and Brown on the script. Her input was invaluable in ensuring the accuracy of a cross-cultural production.
“In any film you do, you want to get the facts and the culture correct,” Guttentag said. “Elaha was born and raised in Afghanistan and came to the United States to go to college. We spoke all of the time — like daily — about making sure we got the culture correct.”
With a script in hand, the next challenge was securing funding and distribution for a thoughtful, inspirational film at a time when remakes and superhero movies dominate the box office.
“One producer of the film, Laura Overdeck, used to coach her son’s robotics team and was a really good fit for us,” he said. “We also were fortunate with our casting, because just about everyone we asked to be in the film said yes to us. Almost all of the actors in the film are first-generation Americans or Canadians of Afghan or Iranian descent.
“Once we had the cast and the financing, we made the film and are happy to work with Angel Studios in distributing it. The Angel people are great to work with, and they still believe in theaters. The theater experience has taken some hits lately, but I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon. It’s great to work with people who believe in that venue for showing movies. There is something special about it.”
Guttentag hopes moviegoers will walk out of theaters not only entertained but inspired.
“One person said her daughter told her she never really had thought about how easy it was for her to go to school and study computers, math and science,” he said. “We want to highlight the idea of girls in STEM. I like to think we are not an eat-your-spinach type of movie where you are getting a lecture, but it highlights the grace, beauty and advantages of what happens when girls go into STEM. I hope people will talk about that.”
“Rule Breakers,” like all good sports movies, is all about persisting to overcome the odds.
“We all are looking for stories of triumph on some level,” Guttentag said. “There are a lot of dark stories out there, but in some ways this is an aspirational film. We are presenting people who are heroes, and we all hope that we will be more like the heroes in the film. We are choosing to celebrate the light as opposed to the darkness.”
Although the robotics team persevered and triumphed, the resurgence of the Taliban has closed the window for other Afghan girls to pursue dreams of their own.
“Things have really gotten worse for girls in Afghanistan,” Guttentag said. “The Taliban has banned girls’ education beyond sixth grade. By an accident of geography, if you are a girl born in Afghanistan, once you hit sixth grade, that’s the end of your schooling. It’s completely tragic.
“Sometimes, people just need opportunities, whether its Afghanistan or the United States. There often are smart, dedicated people who want to achieve something but don’t have the opportunity. We want to show what happens when you marry up sharp, wonderful people with opportunity. Often, great stuff comes out of it.”
Guttentag encourages moviegoers to get out of the house for an experience that will introduce them to a different culture and lift their spirits.
“When people go to movies, they give you two hours of their lives that they never are going to get back,” he said. “As a filmmaker, you have to respect the audience, and you owe it to the them to tell a compelling story. Fortunately, in our case, the story was very compelling. I hope audiences will be touched emotionally, they will cheer, they will enjoy it and they will feel like it was a good use of their time.”
To watch the movie trailer or learn more about “Rule Breakers,” visit www.angel.com/movies/rule-breakers.
–By Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
