Charles Dye, Co-Producer/Director

Quick Facts:

• Home: Earth
• What got you into filmmaking? Some hardy thorny desire that grew from having my own black & white TV in my room when I was child. I had no idea what Kunfu or Catch22 were about when I was seven (probably still don’t) but they obviously changed me.
• Why did you become involved in Nikki’s Long Trail expedition / the making of the film? Years ago, Rick Smith told me about an article he’d read about human evolution and endurance running. As a runner turned cyclist filmmaker I immediately wanted to build a film around the topic. But we needed the right story, and years passed. Then one day Rick told me he’d just sat next to Nikki on a plane and that she was planning to run the Long Trail. Shortly thereafter I first met Nikki running up and down the trails at Pipestone, as we filmed the trailer for this film.
• Greatest inspiration: Almost every film I see.
• Proudest moment: I’m grateful for every moment.
• Biggest fear: That someone will notice that Patrick McLaughlin was also involved in this production.
• Favorite food on a shoot/in the field: When it’s hot: coconut water. When it’s cold: chocolate. But of course anything will do.
• Best adventure: my son Colm & daughter Maeve
• 3 Things People Should Know About You: I’m cautious and relentless.
• Ambition / What’s Next? Indian Relay will air on Independent Lens this fall-that’s pretty cool-as that production shared a lot of crew with this one. In the meanwhile I’ve got an ear out for a good story about a Moroccan musician. I’m also looking for the right screenplay(s) for a fictional short or two. And then there’s my goal to run 50k on my birthday after next.