CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY

About the Film

Documentary | 81 MIN | US, Afghanistan, Germany

Q+A with the film’s Director, Ben Sturgulewski, and Producer, Katie Stjernholm. PLUS extra special guest, the film’s main protagonist, Afghan ski coach Alishah Farhang

“The ultimate underdog story!” – Variety

In the remote mountains of Afghanistan, a newfound passion for skiing attracts young athletes from rival villages to the slopes. With minimal gear and makeshift wooden skis, the determined coach, Alishah Farhang, organizes a ski race like no other that unites the community in a moment of joy and triumph just before the country’s collapse. CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY captures the spirit of a classic underdog sports story with the heartfelt portrait of a community finding hope amid disrupted dreams. Revealing a stunning unseen side of Afghanistan, it is an uplifting exploration of what it means to be a champion – in all its forms.

Following its World Premiere at Tribeca, this captivating documentary received the prize for Best Documentary at SCAD Savannah, Overall Audience Choice at Heartland International Film Festival, Grand Prize at Banff Mountain Film Festival, and a number of Audience Awards from festivals including Austin, Banff, Crested Butte, and Denver. Learn more on the film’s website HERE.

Nurture and develop the current ski culture and community in Afghanistan by supporting the Bamyan Alpine Ski Club (BASC). BASC makes wooden skis for children, assists in ski training, and organizes an annual ski race for the youth. Just $30 is enough to gift a pair of wooden skis to a local athlete!

View Screening

Director	Ben Sturgulewski
Produced By	Katie Stjernholm, Baktash Ahadi

Tribeca Film Festival 2024
DC/DOX Film Festival 2024
Woods Hole Film Festival 2024

Trailer

Related Films

IT'S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY (2025)

106 MIN

Never-before-seen footage, exclusive voice messages, and accounts from Jeff Buckley’s inner circle paint a captivating portrait of the gifted musician who died tragically in 1997, having only released one album.

Learn More

WE ARE GUARDIANS (2023)

85 MIN

In the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, the Indigenous forest guardians stand at the frontlines of the fight to protect their ancestral lands from relentless invasions and deforestation. As more and more people illegally invade their lands each year, devastating centuries-old forests for resources and fast profits, these small groups of guardians risk everything to […]

Learn More

BLACK TABLE (2024)

93 MIN

BLACK TABLE is the story of how one of the largest classes of black students entering Yale in the mid-1990s embraced a dining hall table while struggling against the tide of history. In 1993, elite U.S. universities saw a surge in admissions of students of color, including one of the largest classes of black students […]

Learn More

GOING VARSITY IN MARIACHI (2023)

104 MIN

In the competitive world of high school mariachi, the musicians from the South Texas borderlands reign supreme. Under the guidance of Coach Abel Acuña, the teenage captains of Edinburg North High School’s acclaimed team must turn a shoestring budget and diverse crew of inexperienced musicians into state champions. In a South Texas high school auditorium, […]

Learn More

CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY

About the Film

Trailer

Related Films

Working to Enlighten, Enrich, Educate, and Entertain Through Film