Trail Mix, 50min,. USA
Directed by Glenn Robert Sweitzer
Trail Mix follows a 2,000-mile journey from Georgia to Maine, uncovering the personal struggles and healing of hikers seeking solace, purpose, and transformation. Directed by Glenn Sweitzer, the film reveals how nature becomes a powerful path back to wholeness.

http://trailmix.film/
https://instagram.com/trailmix_film

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I wasn't planning to make a film. I was just dealing with a big curiosity, a bad hip, some extra weight, and a big ol' question mark about what was next for me in life. The Appalachian Trail kept showing up — like the universe was nudging me. So I grabbed a camera, threw on a backpack I barely knew how to use..., and started walking. I was looking for answers... and I ended up finding stories way bigger than mine.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

It took about three years from concept to completion — but really, the idea was evolving in me long before that. The physical trail is over 2,000 miles, and I hiked about 1,100 miles of it. But the emotional journey behind Trail Mix was even longer. And to be totally honest... the film almost wasn't finished. Right after the filming concluded, my mom and then my brother, got sick. They passed away about a year apart, and that destroyed me. I basically shelved the project until a friend re-motivated me.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Nature heals.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Doing it solo. I mean truly solo. No crew, nobody to give advice, no safety net and no investors. I was the director, interviewer, camera guy, driver, sound guy, and at times, therapist — mostly for myself. But also the emotional weight of it... hearing these raw, beautiful, often heartbreaking stories from hikers — it got to me. And I had to carry them with care. There were times I felt I was not adequate to be the guy opening up these heart felt and truly emotional stories.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I got emotional. I did not expect to feel that way. You spend so much time alone with your work, being vulnerable in the film and always wondering if it will connect. Hearing real people respond — seeing that it really touched them — was deeply validating. It made every moment worth it. It truly affected me. It reminded me why I made this in the first place. I especially love the fact that everyone takes something different from the film. The feedback was so positive, that I wondered if they watched the right movie!!

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

It took a while. I career was in graphic design and music video production, but storytelling — real, vulnerable storytelling — started pulling at me. I found I loved creating "behind the scenes" for music videos more than the actual music video, because there was so much story in those. Why the song was written, what it means to the artist and how the fans embraced the music. All incredible stories. When I made my first doc about wild mustangs years ago, something clicked. I knew I didn't want to just design things anymore... I wanted to say something... I wanted to affect.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Probably The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It's that whole leap-into-the-unknown thing. That quiet longing to really live. I get that. Especially at this point in my life. But the cinematography and the locations alone sucked me into it. I can watch it over and over.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

Connection. The real kind, from the people who put them on, to the audience and their reactions. I think festivals that create spaces for filmmakers to meet, collaborate, share struggles and ideas — those are the ones that stay with you. Oh, and anything that helps with distribution or visibility? Huge.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site?

It's been great. FilmFreeway makes submitting so easy — even when you're in a van in the middle of nowhere with bad Wi-Fi. It's been a solid tool for getting Trail Mix out there and custom picking festivals that fit your concept and genre.

10. What is your favorite meal?

This is easy, if you're talking about backpack food... Campfire chili from Packit Gournet. You need to try this dehydrated camp food. And of course cornbread after a long day on the trail. Add in some stars, a little smoke in the air, and a spoon that maybe I carved myself? Perfect. Yes, I learned how to carve wooden spoons and coffee mugs from wood I find on the trail.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Yes! A few actually. I've got one brewing about how music heals us — mind, body, and soul — and another exploring the forgotten history (and future) of America's forests. There's even a really fun doc about reindeer I have been working on. But whatever's next, it'll be rooted in transformation. And probably have a little dirt on it.