Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and “Succession” actor Arianne Moad have signed as executive producers of the featured documentary “Champions of the Golden Valley.”
Director Ben Sturgulewski’s document follows former Afghanistan’s hopeful Alishah Farhangm, and brings athletes of all ages and abilities together from villages often divided in the neighborhood of the ancient Afghan mountain town of Bamiyan to form competitive skiing communities. The Oscar-qualified theatrical run of “The Golden Valley Champions” begins on October 31st in Los Angeles.
“The Golden Valley Champions” is a moving and timely story of what joy and unity look like when everything else falls apart,” Yousafzai said in a statement.
Because “The Golden Valley Champions” is about people who refuse to quit their dreams, Moayed said. “These beautiful and resilient Afghans demonstrate to us the power of sports, community and shared purposes, no matter what their disabilities are.”
Doc premiered at the 2024 Tribecafe Stability, screened at over 50 festivals and won over 30 grand prizes, ju-juku and audience awards, including the best documentaries at both the Scad Savannah Film Festival and the Berkshire International Film Festival.
“Director Ben Stargrewski captures Afghanistan, where there are few outsiders ever, in his enthusiastic debut head feature film,” said Andrea Passafeem, a programmer at Tribecca Fest. “A unique story that goes beyond skiing is that “The Golden Valley Champion” is resilience, finding joy in difficult situations and becoming a champion. ”
Yousafzai supports several documentary projects. In 2023, Yousafzai rode the Oscar shortlist Doc “Stranger at the Gate” as an executive producer. The film represented a surprising change in the mind of a former US Marine Corps who tormented PTSD, who attempted to bomb the mosque but instead converted to Islam. In 2022, Yousafzai joined Joyland as an executive producer. The film tells the story of a young Pakistani from a patriarchal family who took part in an erotic dance theatre and fell to an ambitious trans starlet.
Yousafzai began acting by blogging about life in Pakistan under the Taliban, and was shot in the head with a voice. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work for education and equality. The Oxford University alumni and self-proclaimed television fan attacked the multi-year programming agreement in 2021, where she is the president, through extracurricular activities alongside Apple TV+.
