Afghan Dreamers

It’s 2017 in Afghanistan, a time when girls could still dream of careers in science and technology. The Afghan Girls Robotics Team, comprised of talented, creative and excited teenagers, is working hard to compete internationally with their peers. The team faces seemingly impossible challenges getting to competitions, yet the conflicts and tragedies in their country and their own lives, never stop them. Filmmaker David Greenwald allows the girls to describe their hopes, dreams and fears entirely in their own words. “We are a generation who see technology as a tool to rebuild Afghanistan, not as a weapon for war,” says one team member. They envision a peace fueled by education and science. But their optimism is compromised when the US withdraws from Afghanistan and the brutal, misogynistic Taliban returns to power. Afghan Dreamers is a heart wrenching testimony to the strength of will and a sad, troubling commentary on world politics. (Woodstock Film Festival)