Film about Afghan girls’ robotics club, panel set for Feb. 11

Cornell Cinema will present a screening of the documentary "Rule Breakers," chronicling the founding of Afghanistan's first all-girls robotics team, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the sisters at the center of the film.

The event will be held Feb. 11 - coinciding with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science - and begins at 4:30 p.m. at Cornell Cinema, 104 Willard Straight Hall.

The film follows Afghan entrepreneur Roya Mahboob and her students as they defy entrenched gender barriers to form a robotics team in a setting where educating girls is often treated as an act of rebellion. As the team's innovation draws international attention, they encounter cultural resistance and serious threats yet continue their work with resilience and determination. The documentary explores themes of female empowerment, teamwork, and the transformative power of education.

Elaha Mahboob, M.P.A. '19, is a co-founder of the Afghan Girls' Robotics Team and served as executive producer and writer of the film. Together with her sister, she helped lead efforts to evacuate Afghan girls and women during the Taliban takeover in 2021.

Following the screening, both sisters will join Cornell faculty members for a panel discussion on the film's themes, their efforts to evacuate Afghan girls and women from Afghanistan in 2021, and the current circumstances facing Afghan communities in the United States. Jaclyn Kelley-Widmer, clinical professor of law at Cornell Law School and director of the Immigration Law and Advocacy Clinic, will moderate the conversation, which will conclude with an audience Q&A session.

Earlier in the day, the Mahboob sisters will speak at a separate event in Myron Taylor Hall from noon to 1:30 p.m. as part of the Berger International Speaker Series. The talk will be moderated by Elizabeth Brundige, clinical professor of law and director of the Gender Justice Clinic.

The screening and panel are co-sponsored by Cornell Law School's Migration and Human Rights Program, the Berger International Speaker Series, the Immigration Law & Advocacy Clinic, the Gender Justice Clinic, the Dorothea S. Clarke Program and the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.

Chris Brouwer is editorial director at Cornell Law School.