EXCLUSIVE: The award-winning documentary Afghan Dreamers will exclusively premiere on Paramount+ on May 23, ahead of an expected Emmy push for the documentary about an all-girl robotics team in Afghanistan.
Emmy winner Sheila Nevins and Oscar winner Ellen Goosenberg Kent executive produce the feature from MTV Documentary Films. David Greenwald directs and David Cowan and Beth Murphy produce the documentary, winner of Best Human Rights Film award at Galway Film Fleadh in Ireland and the Audience Award for Tiempo de Historia at the Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain. See the trailer below.
‘Afghan Dreamers’
MTV Documentary Films
“Afghan Dreamers tells the harrowing story of an all-girl robotics team from Afghanistan as they struggle to succeed in international competitions,” notes a description of the film, “while combating their male-dominated culture under the threat of Taliban rule.”
In the U.S., the documentary has screened at numerous festivals including Dallas, Boulder, Cleveland, Montclair, and SCAD Savannah.
In a statement, Nevins said, “I will forever think of the bravery of these Afghan girls who left their country under gunfire and found peace in Europe, only to insist that one day they will be able to go back home and teach Robotics to a younger generation of girls.”
MTV Documentary Films
“Imagine knowing that the Taliban has you in its sights and persisting anyway,” Goosenberg Kent observed. “The young women in our film are beyond brave. They are visionary and unflinching in urging the world not to forget the girls and women who cannot escape the Taliban’s brutal repression. I applaud MTV Documentary Films and Paramount+ for their steadfast support of this film and the urgent issues it brings to light.”
In late April, the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution demanding the Taliban “swiftly reverse its policies and practices restricting women and girls’ enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms — including those related to their access to education, employment, freedom of movement and participation in public life.”
Director David Greenwald said of Afghan Dreamers, “The film offers an intimate look at the last days of freedom in Afghanistan as seen through the eyes of an all-girl robotics team. Their personal stories permit us to start to understand the enormity of what millions of girls and women have lost since the summer of 2021 when the Taliban returned to power.”
Greenwald added, “The Taliban can ban girls from going to school. They can prevent women doctors from practicing medicine or not allow female judges from entering the courtroom. But one thing they can’t do is erase the accomplishments of the Afghan girl’s robotic team. They’re part of Afghan history now and their hopes and dreams live on in the hearts and minds of every Afghan girl.”