Événement

Walking the Camino and Lydia B Smith @ The Well

Filmmaker Lydia B. Smith follows 6 pilgrims across 500 miles of Spain as they journey toward Santiago de Compostela.

Walking the Camino presents universal themes through personal stories for those seeking to redefine the way they live their lives, to deepen their relationship with themselves, and to rediscover their connection with the world in which they live. Many refer to the Camino as a 'metaphor for life,' in that each person must determine and find their own way what is right for one may not be for another. There is no single right way to do the Camino, nor to live life.

Screened in film festivals across the US, "Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago," including a SIFF screening earlier in the year. It won Best Documentary at the Rainier Independent Film Festival in Washington earlier in the year. The film has been written about extensively from Huffington Post to the New York Times, which had this to say:

"The trail, of course, is absurdly photogenic. Sunbeams stream through clouds; valleys are viewed from mountaintops; morning mists hug meadows. The film also catalogs the challenges: blisters, aching joints, the snoring in hostels, the lack of hygiene. Sometimes the sun is too hot, the wind too strong, the rain too soaking. A pilgrimage is not supposed to be comfortable. Over time, Camino becomes a noun, verb and state of mind. As weights are shed from both the pack and the soul everyone is somehow changed. Religious quest or not, one priest says, "the Camino is pure medicine."

As travelogue, this is a persuasive introduction. Viewer beware: The impulse to take a hike is strong. Wear sturdy shoes." - New York Times

After screening the film, we will talk with the filmmaker Lydia B. Smith.