A Ski Culture Rises in Afghanistan's Mountains: Free Documentary Screening Comes to Three Islands August 21
- FHFF
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Friday Harbor Film Festival's Best of the Fest series continues this month with a free documentary screening of Champions of the Golden Valley, playing simultaneously on Friday, August 21 at 7 PM at the San Juan Island Library, the Lopez Island Library, and — new this month — the Shaw Island Community Building.
Free Documentary Screening Welcomes Shaw Island for the First Time
Friday Harbor Film Festival is pleased to welcome Shaw Island residents to Best of the Fest for the first time. Beginning this month, the free monthly screening series expands to three simultaneous island venues, bringing award-winning documentaries directly to San Juan, Lopez, and Shaw Island communities on the same night, same time, at no cost.
No ticket or RSVP is required at any location.
About Champions of the Golden Valley
This award-winning documentary captures the emergence of a homegrown ski culture in Afghanistan's remote, snow-capped mountains. At its center is Alishah Farhang, a former Winter Olympic hopeful whose dream of becoming Afghanistan's first Olympic alpine skier transforms into a mission to bring skiing to his homeland. Using handmade wooden skis and secondhand gear, young athletes from rival villages unite for a ski mountaineering race unlike any other — a powerful catalyst for hope and unity. When their world is suddenly upended, Alishah and the athletes must draw on the lessons learned on the slopes to find their way forward.
Riveting and deeply human, this underdog sports story offers a visually stunning, rarely seen perspective on Afghanistan. Since its Tribeca premiere, the film has won more than twenty Jury Prizes and Audience Awards on the North American festival circuit.
Stay for a Pre-Recorded Q&A with the Director
Following the screening, all three venues will show a pre-recorded Q&A with director Ben "Sturge" Sturgulewski, who grew up on a remote island in Alaska's Aleutian Chain and has built a career telling stories about the world's wild places and the people who call them home. Champions of the Golden Valley is his first feature documentary.
Plan Your Free Night Out
When: Friday, August 21 at 7 PM
Cost: Free — no ticket or RSVP required
Champions of the Golden Valley is presented with support from the 2026 Best of the Fest In-Kind Sponsor, The Journal of the San Juan Islands, and 2026 Best of the Fest Series Presenting Media Sponsor, Cascade PBS.
