AFGHAN MUSCLES International Documentary Competition

Danish director Andreas Mol Dalsgaard’s relentlessly entertaining documentary follows the most popular sport in Afghanistan, male bodybuilding. And this is not the Afghanistan of your nightly news. Just check out the hilarious scene at a qualifier for the men’s national team: competitors strut their stuff in spray-on tans and Speedos while robed, bearded men squeal like teens stricken with Beatlemania. Dalsgaard tracks the athletes as they train the Mr. Asia championships, capturing a multitude of surreal moments. A sponsorship takes the form of a dozen eggs a day, protein powder is smuggled like drugs and “Arnold” is referred to often, on an exclusively first:name basis. Beyond its incredibly appealing characters and thrilling plot, this film offers something we don’t often see – the Afghan perspective. While America remains largely ignorant of the people who live in the countries we are “fighting for,” Dalsgaard offers us an invaluable reminder that such places actually exists.