Zelzin, huellas que inspiran
About the Film
Footprints that Inspire follows Zelzin Aketzalli, the first person from Mexico to complete the Triple Crown of Hiking, as she circumnavigates her home mountain, the Iztaccíhuatl volcano. Raised in a violent neighborhood in Mexico City, Zelzin turned adversity into strength and found purpose by hiking some of the world's most iconic trails.
This intimate and visually powerful short film not only documents her return to the mountain that shaped her, but also reveals the challenges that come with being a pioneer. Zelzin shares the weight and clarity of walking for a dream few believe in.
A portrait of resilience, connection with nature, and the struggle to forge paths where there are none, Footprints that Inspire is an invitation to follow our passions, even when no one else has been there.
Directors: Zelzin Aketzalli Weeks, Adam Pawlikiewicz
Producers: Zelzin Aketzalli Weeks, Adam Pawlikiewicz
Mexico, United States // 2025 // Adventure, Documentary // Los Shorts
24 minutes
About the Filmmaker
Zelzin Aketzalli is a Mexican adventure filmmaker, producer, and high-performance endurance athlete whose work explores resilience, identity, and community through long-distance expeditions.
Currently producing and filming her first feature-length documentary in the remote landscapes of Baja California, she brings her athletic discipline into her cinematic process, physically reaching some of the most isolated and desolate regions of the planet to tell human stories from within, not from the outside.
Zelzin made history as the first Mexican to complete the Triple Crown of Hiking, an achievement that shaped both her endurance career and her narrative voice as a filmmaker. She was part of the filming team during a 70-day expedition along the 800-mile Hayduke Trail, a project soon to be released as a digital series.
Her work and journey have been featured in Outside Magazine, Backpacker Magazine, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, Freeman Outdoors, and Univision.
Her work stands at the intersection of adventure cinema and social impact storytelling, redefining who gets to be seen in the outdoors and who gets to tell the story.
