PEA Alumni Documentary Featured on PBS

Six groups of hikers walk among the white houses and slanted clay roofs of Jean Pied de Port, a village in Southern France. 500 miles away lies their destination: a Gothic Cathedral in the heart of the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela. Through their journey, they are followed by the documentary crew of Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago through muddy waters and tall grasses as each of the hikers searches for their own way.

“My intention was to make the film that the Camino wanted,” Smith said. “All of these rewards have been fantastic, but I don’t feel like it’s been me. People are seeing the Camino and its magic, that is what the awards are going to.”

Lydia B. Smith ’82

The PBS documentary is the vision of Lydia B. Smith ’82, who traveled the Camino trail herself in the summer of 2008. The walk inspired her to direct and produce her first feature-length film. Walking the Camino aired on PBS in over 1,000 broadcasts across 40 states last December and will continue to air in 2019.

Camino Francés is one of several medieval pilgrimage routes toward the remains of the apostle, martyr and Iberian missionary Saint James. The trails, which follow old Roman roads and trading outposts, developed a special significance to Christians in the Middle Ages as a route of penance. Today, they are collectively known as the Camino de Santiago, and in spite of blisters and the other difficulties of foot travel, the Camino hosts some 250,000 peregrinos every year, each with their own motivations, some religious and some secular.

On April 22nd, 2009, the camera crew began conducting interviews and hiking alongside the travelers during the six week journey. Since 2014, Walking the Camino has won several awards including the American Documentary Film Festival, the Rainier Independent Film Festival and the Hollywood Film Festival. 

Smith identifies the power of the Camino itself as a strong influence on the film’s reception. “My intention was to make the film that the Camino wanted,” Smith said. “All of these rewards have been fantastic, but I don’t feel like it’s been me. People are seeing the Camino and its magic, that is what the awards are going to.”

Smith is grateful for the support of Phillips Exeter Alumni, who assisted her financially and emotionally. “Over 40 percent of the money I needed to raise to finish the film came from Exeter alumni,” she said. “Most of my largest donors were classmates and even more volunteered their time and energy, and some even hosted me when I toured in 2014 with my film. This film is a class of ’82 film through and through.”

One such supporter, Susan Ordway ’82, first knew Smith in 1980 as her Langdell Hall dormmate. She recalls first hearing about the Camino trail from Smith in a 2008 San Francisco alumni reception. “I remember Lydia talking about how her recent Camino walk had been a transformative experience and how she’d like to return to document the Camino with a film crew,” Ordway said.

Ordway explained the importance of supporting Walking the Camino and the personal connection she felt to the film. “I support friends and classmates whenever I have the chance and means,” Ordway said. “My life has been expanded by this project and I have Lydia to thank for exposing me to the experience of the Camino.”

Another Exeter Alum, Mark Bradford ’82 volunteered his own services as a lawyer involved in IP and entertainment law. “I put together, negotiated and revised all of the contracts for the film from 2012 to the end. It was a dream job and Lydia was a dream client,” Bradford said.

Outside of the Exeter community, Smith’s intent was to reach peoples from all walks of life. “It was really important for the movie to have a lot of depth and to speak to people on different levels,” Smith said. “I felt like I was walking on a fine line, trying to be as inclusive as possible and ensuring that there is no judgement on how one completes the Camino.”

One such viewer, Fran Szplyczyn, watched the film in 2014 while planning her trip along the Camino. Szplyczyn explained how the film impacted her in ways that other famous films and books about the trail did not. “It affirmed that community and silence together would be part of the Camino,” she said. “The transformative power of the Camino can change your life, but you must live your life, no matter what.” 

“Overall, Lydia has given the world a gift in this film,” Szplyczyn concluded. 

Meanwhile, Margaretha Finefrock spoke to how the film expanded her perspective, even after walking the 500 mile trek. “In just a short amount of time, Lydia really portrayed the history of the Camino and the different kinds of people, nationalities, experiences and stories of people walking the Camino,” Finefrock said. “The cinematography is just stunning. It really captured, for me, the spirit of what I experienced.”

Other producers like Kimberly Green were also impactful supporters. Green helped bring the documentary to the Nashville Belcourt Theater. “We promoted [Walking the Camino] as best we could through the local pilgrim groups, and the screening was packed—so packed, in fact, that the Belcourt decided to add a second screening night,” Green said.  

Green also noted how the documentary allows insight into the true experience of the Camino. “I want to believe that the Camino brings out the best in people, but the truth is, it can bring out the best, the worst and everything in between,” Green said. “Maybe it’s possible to achieve some large insights on a very long walk, but I think they have to come from the seeds of something that’s already in a person. I think all that came through in the film.”

Reflecting upon the walk’s significance, Smith compared it to a metaphor of life itself.  “I think that’s why the Camino is so popular,” she said. “It is a journey to yourself, so it can be applicable to everyone. It’s an inclusive experience. I think that walking the Camino brings out our true selves that gets lost in the rest of life.”