The Long Trail Out

You have successfully found the GoFundMe page for the feature-length documentary, “The Long Trail Out”. Our story follows Tim, a man who at almost the age of seventy has big plans. This summer Tim and our filmmaker, Shai Ben-Dor, plan to conquer two of the Northeast’s most difficult day hikes. The first is the Presidential Traverse in NH (20 miles long with an elevation gain and loss of almost 18,000 ft, including Mount Washington). Their second trail will be Devil’s Path in the Catskill Mountain range (23 miles and includes 14,000 feet of elevation gain and loss). Experienced backpackers have been slowed to hiking at a miserably slow pace of a single mile an hour. Shai will be documenting both these two hikes, but also the life of Tim.
Tim is not the only person who has a long path to travel.  The struggles we face in our own lives can enlighten others as long as we have the strength to share them. Tim has spent the majority of his life serving as a mentor to youth in a small town just outside of Buffalo, NY.  He has worked extensively, encouraging and educating his community for decades. We will be travelling to his hometown to learn from some of the people he has mentored over the years, some of whom are now in their 60’s.

While a strong mentor in others’ lives Tim has constantly struggled internally with his own identity. He has lived the majority of his life as a closeted homosexual and only in recent years has begun to come out.  The expanse of the outdoors offered an escape where Tim could leave all of his apprehensions at the trailhead. This struggle with his identity has shaped a lot of his life, sculpting a passion for helping others and has made Tim a figure who’s guidance has and continues to impact hundreds and even thousands of kids throughout his lifetime.

Tim has left a prominent impression on his community and our filmmaker, Shai Ben-Dor. This film aims to spread that impact by introducing Tim to the world. Tim’s sense of giving is one others can learn to identify with. Tim is much more than just a hiking partner: for so many he’s a mentor, a teacher and a friend.   Tim’s story speaks to the unseen challenges that reside within our minds.  This film will encourage others to take action in improving their own lives as well as the lives of those around them.    
If Shai is going to make this film in the way it should be made, it is going to cost some money.  That is where we need your help.  Tim has been selflessly giving his entire life and with your contribution, we can give a little back to him.  This is how our budget essentially breaks down:


Camera Gear: First and foremost, if this feature length documentary is going to be of the quality that we believe Tim and his community deserve, we will need to rent and purchase some equipment.  This includes anything from our Ronin camera rig to the hard drives to put the footage onto.

Hotels/Food/Gas: These are the costs that will be taken on as Shai and Tim go on their two hikes. They will need to travel long distances by car and will need places to stay, as well as provisions for during the day hikes as well as before and after.

Music & Graphics: Much like our camera department, we really don’t want to make this film look anything short of professional grade.  We want to have a budget to hire a visual effects artist for graphics that will help lay out the journey to our audience.  We also want to be able to hire a composer to give our film even more life.

Salary: Shai is a recent graduate of Ithaca College and as such, he doesn't have a lot of time to give to this project.  As a Video Producer in the Ithaca area, Shai will have to take time off of work to make this film. As such, we plan to compensate him for a small fraction of his time.

Festival Submissions: This film will need to be distributed once completed, and the best way to do that is via film festivals.  These submissions come with major fees, so we need to prepare for that.

You may have noticed that this budget adds up to roughly $10,000 but this GoFundMe page is set for only $7500. We want to start with a lower goal, with the hopes of eventually making a much higher one.  There is no doubt that we can make this film for less, but we know that if we set our sights a little higher, our community will rise to the occasion for a cause that matters on a human level.
This film has an ability to touch a wide range of people. Our main objective is to have this film accepted into the Banff Mountain Film Festival but hope to have it shown in as many places as is possible. This is an unconventional LGBT coming of age story, full of adventure, wrapped together by a sense of personality and wisdom only Tim, can provide. We know we can inspire the audiences of this film and know that its exhibition will bring hope to those who are in need. Most importantly, this film will help struggling people both young and old, to get out and love the skin they are in.