George Clooney Directs “The Boys in the Boat” in First Look Photos and Behind-the-Scenes Video (Exclusive)

"Every film we’ve ever seen that has an underdog in it, you’re always rooting for them," George Clooney says

George Clooney is bringing an inspirational true story to light.

PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at The Boys in the Boat, directed by Clooney, 62, and adapted from author Daniel James Brown's book of the same name.

The film, which stars Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner among an ensemble cast, follows the true story of the University of Washington's 1936 rowing team and their journey to the Summer Olympics in Berlin.

"Rowing, particularly in the 1920s, was the No. 1 attended sport in the United States," Clooney says in a behind-the-scenes video. "The Boys in the Boat is about strong, tough kids, but they were poor and hungry. They’re rowing because it was the only way they could stay in college."

He adds, "The stakes were much higher for them, and it gave them an edge."

The group of students who made up University of Washington's rowing team that year started out as the college's second-tier rowing team, but worked their way into representing the U.S. in the Olympics, according to a 2012 Slate article about the team.

They ultimately won a gold medal in Berlin, narrowly beating Italy and Germany for first place at an event that Adolf Hitler attended, the outlet reported.

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“These guys at the University of Washington take on the seniors, and then taking on the fraternity kids, and then taking on the Nazis," Clooney says in the video. "Every film we’ve ever seen that has an underdog in it, you’re always rooting for them, that you can pull yourself up from nothing and succeed.”

Author Brown, 72, tells PEOPLE he found the true story behind The Boys in the Boat "one of those rare stories that just got better, more complex and rewarding," as he initially conducted research into his book, published in 2013.

Brown said he and Clooney discussed Clooney's upbringing in Kentucky and the actor-director's struggles to make money early in his career.

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"That experience, [Clooney] said, helped him understand [the movie's central character] Joe Rantz, and all [the] difficulties he went through back in the 1930s," Brown says. "I think that understanding really shines through in the movie."

"At its heart, this is a story not just about a rowing team but about a generation of Americans who learned to put aside differences and come together in very tough times to accomplish great things," Brown adds.

"The young men at the heart of the story personify what is best about Americans — our perseverance, our optimism, our sense of fairness, our ability to confront adversity together."

In addition to Edgerton, 49, and Turner, 33, the cast also includes Peter Guinness, Jack Mulhern, James Wolk, Hadley Robinson, Courtney Henggeler, Sam Strike, Thomas Elms, Luke Slattery, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Wil Coban, Thomas Stephen Varey and Chris Diamantopoulos.

The screenplay is by Mark L. Smith, with music by Alexandre Desplat. The Amazon MGM Studios film is produced by Clooney and Grant Heslov.

The Boys in the Boat is in theaters Dec. 25.

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