The Filmmaker-Pilgrims
Michael M. Conti
Michael M. Conti is a Boulder, Colorado filmmaker, educator, and media producer with nearly four decades of experience — from Hollywood productions to independent documentary filmmaking. A native Coloradan shaped by the Rocky Mountain landscape and an academic family environment, he developed a lifelong interest in the intersection of science, spirituality, nature, and storytelling.
His first encounter with the Land of Hildegard came in 2014, when he traveled to Germany to make The Unruly Mystic: Saint Hildegard — a documentary exploring the life of the 12th-century abbess, composer, healer, and Doctor of the Church. The film premiered in Germany and has since screened at sold-out venues across the United States and Europe.
He returned to the Rhineland in 2019 to film along the Hildegardweg, collaborating with German theologian Dr. Annette Esser on what would become Hildegard Speaks and Hildegard spricht — the English and German versions of a documentary pilgrimage through Hildegard’s homeland. The films have since been screened across Germany, Switzerland, and the United States, including premieres in Cologne, Boulder, and Engelberg.
Michael is the founder of Crazy Wisdom Films and Publishing (est. 2014) and the auteur behind the Unruly Mystic documentary series. He divides his time between Boulder, Colorado and Cologne, Germany.
Our stories, films, and land-based tours are designed to awaken the wisdom within — through real-life stories that resonate across generations, and a spirituality that transcends all barriers.
Michael M. Conti
Heather Boyle
Heather Boyle brings over twenty-five years of experience in leadership, grant development, non-profit administration, and documentary film production. As a producer, writer, consultant, and educator, she is a principal at Crazy Wisdom Films and a co-organizer of the Saint Hildegard Way pilgrimage tours.
Heather walked the Hildegard Way trail in 2019, tracing Hildegard’s path from Idar-Oberstein through the Nahe River valley to the Abbey at Eibingen. That experience deepened her commitment to bringing pilgrims to this landscape — not simply as travelers, but as seekers. She is a vital co-producer of the Unruly Mystic documentary series and a caterer and event producer based in Boulder, Colorado.
Her collaborative film projects have been showcased in independent cinemas throughout the Western United States, finding particular resonance with audiences drawn to transformative storytelling and historical spirituality.
The Films
Full film catalog at crazywisdomfilms.com
Walk With Us
Michael and Heather lead the Walking in the Footsteps of Saint Hildegard pilgrimage each September through the Rhineland. The 2026 journey runs September 12–22, centered on Hildegard’s Feast Day on September 17. Have questions? See the FAQ or contact us directly.