Champions of the Golden Valley

The ancient mountain city of Bamyan, Afghanistan is once again on the edge of a great change. Skiing has been introduced to the area, sparking an unlikely yet joyful athletic revolution. Two teenage potato farmers from rival ethnic groups vie for the crown of an exhilarating ski race, led by a local Olympic-hopeful coach who sees a deeper truth in the sport as a tool for building camaraderie and resiliency within the community. But the stakes of those lessons become existential when they endure the shocking collapse of their country to the Taliban, displacing many across the globe as refugees, and forcing them all to face a future they could never have dreamed of. CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY is both an inspiring sports fable, and a portrait of a people in the midst of profound transition — parallel stories converging to explore what it means to be a champion, in all its forms. (Formerly titled: ‘The Afghan Champ’).