EXCLUSIVE: Vienna-based Red Bull Studios has sold Afghanistan documentary Riders On The Storm to Canal+ for France and unveiled the official trailer (click above), ahead of the film’s screening in DOC NYC this weekend.
The film by Jason Motlagh and Mark Oltmanns – which originally world premiered at SXSW – captures the events around the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban’s rise to power, through its national horsemanship sport of Buzkashi.
This often-violent contest tests the skills of competing horsemen as they battle for control of a headless goat.
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Motlagh and Oltmanns started filming before the U.S. pulled out and then returned as the Taliban advanced on the capital of Kabul in the summer of 2021.
The resulting film follows young Buzkashi star Khaiber Akbarzada, who discovers that fame is both a gift and a curse as the Taliban takes control.
To avoid the same fate as his uncle, a legendary Buzkashi star who was assassinated during the civil war, Akbarzada and his brother Gulbuddin ‘Kalakov’ Mulakhil go into hiding and must ultimately make a choice that will alter the course of their lives forever.
MetFilm Sales handles international sales for the film and brokered the deal with Canal+ on behalf of Red Bull Studios.
“We are delighted that Canal+ will be bringing our film to French audiences,” said directors Motlagh and Oltmanns. “Both of us have strong personal connections to France and have long admired its film culture. This feels like just the right place to debut in the European market.”
Olivier Agogué, Director of Programming at Canal+ Docs, said the exciting Buzkahshi scenes and message of freedom had been key draws.
“Riders on the Storm is a documentary about sport, tradition and freedom. We loved the amazing power of the Buzkashi scenes and the film’s powerful message around freedom and free will,” he said.
Sebastian Burkhardt, Head of Partnerships and Commercial Strategy, at Red Bull Studios welcomed the deal with Canal+.
“The film has had incredible success across film festivals around the world, beginning with the World Premiere at SXSW, the Athens International Film Festival, among several others internationally, and now at the largest documentary festival in America,” he said.
“We could not be more thrilled to partner with Canal+ to bring this exceptional film to French audiences.”
Red Bull Studios (RBS) is the independent film and television studio arm of Austrian energy drink Red Bull. Other recent productions include the BAFTA and Rose d’or award-winning documentary The Real Mo Farah, and the Nelson Mandela documentary The Moment.