Packed with snowy action shots, old-school snowsuits and young, athletic stars, “Champions of the Golden Valley” is ostensibly a classic ski movie. Its subjects — members of the Bamyan Ski Club in the mountains of Afghanistan — are as determined as any alpine racer to get faster and go farther, and they’ll use whatever makeshift equipment they can get their hands on to do it.
The best of the best compete on skis salvaged from decades past; up-and-comers make their own gear out of wood planks and sheets of plastic. It’s a “vibrant, pure ski community,” according to director Ben Sturgulewski, and when he started this project in the winter of 2018-19, that lively spirit was enough to anchor a 40-minute cut.
But “documentary always unfolds in really unexpected ways,” said Sturgulewski, who is also the editor and cinematographer of the project. Two years later, many of the film’s subjects fled their home country amid a violent Taliban takeover — so Sturgulewski picked up his camera again for a new version. It screens at the Aspen Film Festival on Thursday, combining lively ski footage with black-and-white interviews about the life of a refugee.
“Skiing becomes not just this pure action thing, it becomes this kind of metaphor for the lost freedoms and liberties of the people in Afghanistan,” Sturgulewski said.
The sport can also serve as metaphor for a certain strength of character, according to producer Katie Stjernholm.
“This community that they had, and this amazing camaraderie and resilience and resourcefulness that Ben experienced in their culture in the mountains, translated to them rebuilding their new lives as refugees around the world,” Stjernholm said.
It’s a “before and after” story of sorts, with a large focus on the ski club’s coach — Alishah Farhang, one of the first skiers to represent Afghanistan in the Olympics. After his country’s collapse, he fled to Germany, where he feels he’s seen as “just a refugee.” Stjernholm said that quote became a crux of the film, which examines a community’s joys in parallel with its grief and loss.
“We just wanted people to say, when they see a refugee or we see people displaced by violence, … ‘What else is under there? What else is (a part) of the fullness of someone's life?’” Stjernholm said.
With a ski movie premise to lure people in, Sturgulewski and Stjernholm hope that the film can also inspire audiences to get involved themselves by supporting the Bamyan Ski Club, contributing global initiatives and connecting with local refugees.
“It's kind of a backdoor way to get people to think about these tragic things that have occurred, and hopefully gain some empathy for this community, while still finding an entertaining and fun story to really just enjoy,” Sturgulewski said.
“Champions of the Golden Valley” plays at the Isis Theatre at 8 p.m. on Thursday. The Aspen Film Festival runs Tuesday through Sunday; all-access passes and tickets for individual screenings are available through aspenfilm.org.
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Alishah Farhang's last name and clarify a quote.
