Nobel Peace Prize winner and global human rights activist Malala Yousafzai has made it her life’s work to shine light on populations that have been marginalised. 

And the Champions of the Golden Valley documentary is a story that highlights several such groups.

“This is such a powerful story about the people of Afghanistan and how much they desire peace in their community… and how skiing – a sport – can give hope to our community,” Yousafzai says in the latest episode of the Olympics.com podcast.

Yousafzai and actor/activist Arian Moayed signed on as executive producers for the project, which has been a film festival darling over the last year and a half and recently landed on Olympics.com as its free global streaming platform.

“When I saw this documentary, I realised that it’s such a great opportunity to raise awareness – through storytelling – about who the Afghan people actually are,” she adds.

Champions tells the story of Alishah Farhang, an Afghan alpine skier who nearly became the first to represent his nation at a Winter Games for PyeongChang 2018, and who returns home to the mountainous Bamyan region to start a ski school.

The documentary follows the many layers of the school and its pinnacle competition, the Afghan Ski Challenge, as the community pulls together despite ethnic, cultural and religious differences, as well as giving women and girls the chance to ski.

As the movie unfolds, the film focuses in on Alishah’s story as he and his family become refugees in Germany – and reflects on the great impact of what Alishah is facing – with memories of the ski school fresh and poignant.

“You can’t stop the will of the people if they want to make something happen – even out of nothing,” Moayed, sitting alongside Yousafzai, tells Olympics.com. “You just can’t do it. And if they love it so much, they will make it happen.

“And that is the beauty of the Olympic [tie-in], actually: Is that you’re dealing with all of these impossible scenarios… [every Olympian] got to that moment because of their resilience and grace; they made it happen.”