BOULDER, Colo. — The Boulder International Film Festival will kick off this weekend and feature the award-winning documentary "Champions of the Golden Valley," which was produced by two Coloradans.
Producer Katie Stjernholm and film editor Ben Sturgulewski spoke to Denver7 Anchor Jessica Porter about the film, which captures a ski tournament in the most unlikely place: the remote mountains of Afghanistan.
“This film takes us all the way to the Bamyan Province of Afghanistan where kids are building skis out of wooden planks and milk jug bindings and they have this amazing self-organized ski culture there,” Stjernholm explained.
"Champions of the Golden Valley" captures the uplifting story of a community finding hope but also offers a look at life after the Taliban returned to power.
“It is a ski film at its core, but it is so much more a story of a community coming together and what happened after Afghanistan collapsed in 2021,” Sturgulewski said.
"Champions of the Golden Valley" will be featured at the Boulder International Film Festival on Friday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. and then again in Longmont at 3 p.m.
“It’s really about how sport can bring people together and I think Coloradans will really resonate with how the mountains and the slopes can help us find common ground,” Stjernholm said.
The Boulder International Film Festival runs March 13-16 at multiple venues and features dozens of films and events.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.