FilmTreks

About FilmTreks

FilmTreks was co-founded by Mel Halbach and Clayton Farr. Thankfully we have a lot of smart peers who also thought it was a great idea. All of the people behind FilmTreks' curtain are veteran documentarian filmmakers within either independent film and/or public television. In addition to filmmaking we have all also worked within education over the years so we can even articulate slightly better than the average filmmaker... ;-)

FilmTreks' Instructors

Clayton Farr

Clayton is a Director, Producer, and Writer who has been working in film for over 10 years. His work as both an independent filmmaker and instructor has afforded a breadth and depth of filmmaking expertise. His filmmaking focuses upon human stories and community based subjects, both within Salt Lake City and abroad. Recent projects include Community Building, a documentary created over the course of four years on the creation of Salt Lake City's internationally recognized city library / civic center, and working with Health Alliance International in Mozambique to document the regional AIDS epidemic and promising methods for treatment.
Mel Halbach

Mel’s curiosity and interest in people continues to sustain his 20 year independent film career. Numerous travels to Vietnam in the 1990’s culminated in his award winning film The Long Haired Warriors; a documentary about Vietnamese women who were soldiers, activists and prisoners of war. His films for non-government organizations bring forward the personal stories of people living in the war torn countries of Southeast Asia, Kosovo, El Salvador and Mozambique. His latest film, What Lights Nate, documents the personal journey of artist Nate Smith and his fire vortex performances at the Burning Man Arts Festival in Nevada. Additonal details on Mel's films are at World Stories Film.
Genéa Gaudet

Genéa is a professional editor at Metropolis Integrated Media in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has edited numerous independent films, documentaries, and television commercials. Her most recent work includes the full-length documentary Fate of the Lhapa (2006), about Tibetan shaman refugees in Nepal, as well as assisting on the independent feature Bonneville (2006), starring Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Joan Allen. In 2004, Genéa started Girlfilm Productions and is currently directing a feature-length documentary about the working poor, titled Minimum Wage.
Kent Genzlinger

Kent is a Director and 1st Assistant Director based in Los Angeles who has worked on feature films, TV series, documentaries and commercials for the past 14 years. He was a story editor and studio drone for 2 years as well before moving into production, and also spent 2 years as a field camera operator in cable and video production. He has teamed with Mel in Cambodia, Mexico, Belize and Vietnam, and has traveled and filmed in 24 countries. As an aside, he has been involved with the American Red Cross Blood Platelet Donation Program since 1999. He is currently a 1st AD on the TV series "Bones" at 20th Century Fox, and is a member of the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles.
Nancy Green

As a Producer, Editor, and Writer, Nancy has specialized in the production of long-format documentaries for local, regional and national PBS broadcast. Her work at KUED, Salt Lake City's PBS affiliate has won numerous awards during the course of her career; including nine Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards, two Utah Society of Professional Journalists Awards, two IRIS Awards, and four Houston WorldFest Awards. Other honors include a National CINE Golden Eagle Award, a New York Film Festival Silver Award, and a Women in Television & Film Gracie Award.