[Q&A] Tami Razinger Releases Full Film “Mezclada” – A Journey of Identity

Featured Picture: Goran Magister | Skier: Tami Razinger / Interviewer: Erin Spong

There isn’t any one proper approach to create and produce a ski movie. Some movies focus completely on the snowboarding, whereas others lean on a storyline to hold via the epic ski photographs. For Tami Razinger’s first movie, the Jackson-based athlete determined to dive deep and discover her relationship with snowboarding, her household in Argentina and the way the cultures of each worlds mixed to create Razinger’s distinctive life story in “Mezclada.” Translated to English, mezclada means ‘combine’—the proper phrase to explain Razinger’s self-identity.

Whereas the movie just lately dropped on-line, the complete mission debuted screenings final yr. In anticipation of this launch, we’re republishing a dialog FREESKIER contributor Erin Spong had with Razinger throughout these 2023 screenings. The dialog is a good perception into the motivation behind the movie, and delivers info that makes the movie all that rather more gratifying. Try the complete interview under.

First off, how are you? How has your season been to date this yr? 

It’s undoubtedly been a gradual begin, because it has been in all places, but it surely’s been good to take time to decelerate and have the time to work on this movie mission and premiere. Fortunately, we simply acquired some snow, and it’s going to be snowing extra this week, so I’m excited to get on the market and get again at it! 

You’re internet hosting a premiere of your new movie”Mezclada” this Saturday at Highpoint Cider in Victor, Idaho. Are you able to inform us extra about your movie and what we will count on at your premiere? 

My movie explores the themes of id and tradition and likewise simply embracing one’s roots and the transformative energy of that. I needed to make extra of an unconventional ski movie whereas additionally being real to my story. It melds a ski movie with a documentary and goes via my life, each my snowboarding historical past and reconnecting with my entire household in Argentina. 

I’m actually excited [about this premiere]. I didn’t need it to be utterly about me, I needed it to be about my neighborhood. So I made a decision to host a premiere on the Teton Valley facet, I really feel like they don’t get as many premieres because the Jackson facet does, and I assumed it was a extremely nice alternative to host a couple of movies which have been launched this early season. A number of them are shut buddies of mine, I curated an inventory of movies with selection—girls in movies but additionally my roommate made a movie, and the younger weapons on this city, the Gentry Boys, made a movie—so a variety of the hometown crowd and native athletes, showcasing that. 

What impressed the creation of “Mezclada”?

It’s a narrative I’ve been wanting to inform for years. Primarily, when my path in snowboarding was diverting away from the freeride competitors scene, I needed to get into filming and get into movies basically, however on the identical time, I needed to make my very own movie and make it real to me and my story, and that is the one I’ve all the time needed to do. Even when it wasn’t the craziest story, I knew if I put collectively snowboarding and a spot lots of people have by no means been, I knew it might seize lots of people’s consideration. It’s been a variety of years in my thoughts however only a yr within the literal making. 

Producing, directing, human wrangling. What was the toughest half about creating your new movie? 

I might say balancing all the roles—being the creator of the movie but additionally starring within the movie is lots. I might additionally say discovering the funding for it, which I by no means absolutely discovered, was a dead-end course of in a variety of methods. It was onerous to get funding from manufacturers once I didn’t have something (previous initiatives) to point out for my work—I had sponsors pitch in a bit of bit, but it surely was undoubtedly decrease than the finances I used to be taking a look at. I needed to rely pennies in a method and simply make issues work. It opened my eyes to a variety of items of the puzzle that I didn’t fairly perceive earlier than, and now I’m realizing the way it all works and the way it all capabilities…sadly, it capabilities with some huge cash, which most individuals don’t have [laughs]. 

Any sudden hurdles you needed to get via?

Planning a visit to Argentina just isn’t one thing I haven’t finished earlier than, in fact. My household lives there, and I attempt to go to each few years. It’s one thing I understand how to do, I’ve finished it earlier than, I’ve household to stick with, however flying two different individuals down there with me, who have been individuals I had by no means met in particular person earlier than, undoubtedly added one other variable of determining journey logistics and an in depth itinerary. We talked about tools and itinerary—what number of days we’d be there and the place—what we’d be doing, what we’re attempting to shoot, the storyline and what we’d want in order that once we acquired again, we may make the movie occur. We solely had 9 days with the 2 filmers. My journey was three weeks there to spend time with household after, however I solely had 9 days to movie and the climate is hit and miss. The climate is certainly an enormous variable, it could possibly be dry, it could possibly be raining, it’s type of just like the Pacific Northwest down there, and it’s not very chilly, however if you hit it proper, every little thing can line up completely, however the possibilities of which might be slim in a brief time frame [laughs]. 

So did you find yourself nailing the climate window? 

As most individuals do, we have been wanting on the climate meticulously earlier than we headed down there, and it was heat and no snow however then it fortunately began to activate simply earlier than we acquired there. We hit it fairly properly, however to be trustworthy, my greatest ski day was after the filmers left. However for probably the most half, there have been nonetheless some days that have been fairly good. It’s not like West Coast climate the place you get days of solar after a giant storm, Patagonia is a little bit of a bubble and may really feel such as you’re snowboarding in a ping-pong ball, so we undoubtedly battled with low visibility. 

With whom do you assume “Mezclada” will resonate most? 

I believe there’s a bit of bit for everybody. I attempted to make it much less of a ski movie factor and extra of an id disaster factor, and I believe everyone indirectly or one other has skilled that to some degree. For me, since all of my kinfolk are nonetheless in Argentina and it was simply my dad and mom who moved us to the USA, that’s the place my household is, and that looks like house, however that is the place we made our house within the U.S., so it’s this query of “The place is house?” as a result of neither place actually feels that method. It’s feeling a bit of misplaced, and I believe everybody has felt that method indirectly or one other, whether or not it’s due to snowboarding or your loved ones or something like that.  

If you happen to return to Argentina, what’s one factor you need to be sure to don’t miss? Whether or not that’s snowboarding a sure line, consuming a sure meal, and so forth. 

Planning these journeys to Argentina all the time has a mix of every little thing. The one factor I all the time ensure that to do is spend as a lot time with my household as I can as a result of I don’t know when I’ll get that point once more. So, on one hand, it’s spending extra time with my household and taking advantage of these moments collectively, however by way of snowboarding, we ended up hitting a backcountry zone proper off of the resort. They name the zone Mini AK, and it’s tremendous consequential terrain, so I might like to ski in that zone extra with low avy hazard. And I might love to return to the huts we visited, particularly Refugio Frey, however spending extra time at every hut, slowing down and never feeling as rushed. 

Who does après higher? North Individuals or South Individuals? 

Positively South Individuals [laughs], that’s no query. Besides their partying isn’t a lot après however discos that go from midnight to 6 within the morning. These guys don’t sleep! 

What does the proper ski day appear to be to you? 

The proper ski day is simply being with a bunch of people that you belief and love within the mountains. It doesn’t essentially should be excellent snow or excellent climate, however you’re with the individuals you’re keen on probably the most, and also you’re having fun with one another’s firm, you’re feeling secure and every little thing feels prefer it’s come collectively simply.