GreenSlate client project ‘Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu,’ a Left/Right produced documentary, premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival. The film follows longtime friends and comedy legends Bob Odenkirk and David Cross as they hike Peru's Inca Trail together.
At the festival, GreenSlate hosted a live podcast recording with Bob, David, and Emmy-nominated producer Carolina Groppa of Angle on Producers — a conversation equal parts insightful, hilarious, and moving. Carolina and Bob share a personal connection that extends beyond the industry, which gave the discussion a warmth and candor that's rare in festival settings.
‘Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu’ was one of 22 GreenSlate client projects at Tribeca 2026, a testament to the independent storytellers GreenSlate is proud to support.
How a Hike Became a Film
The origin story is simple enough: David Cross had wanted to go to Machu Picchu for decades, the way you tell yourself you'll do something "next year" until enough years pile up, and he knew it was finally time.
"I want to challenge myself," he explained. "I want to do something hard."
The logic moved quickly from there: I should go with someone. Who would want to spend a week and a half with me on a trail? Bob. And almost as an afterthought: I guess we should shoot it.
Bob gave a lot of credit to Left/Right for figuring out how to capture the hike in the most minimal, genuine way possible: a small crew, one camera operator, and a commitment to actually experiencing the trail, rather than just documenting it. That meant turning down the oversized tents on day one and giving them to the crew instead. It meant carrying your own discomfort. It meant going all in.
The Trail Itself
The Inca Trail is 26 miles, hiked over four days and three nights. Starting two miles above sea level, the climb goes up to nearly 14,000 feet.
Their trail guide Jose, a seasoned veteran who had seen it all, spent the first day gently suggesting Bob and David stop talking so much, in order to conserve energy. By the end of that first evening, after a full day of jokes, he had figured out who he was dealing with and leaned in.
(For the record: Jim Carrey is Jose's favorite comedian. Bob had thoughts about this.)
When Bob watched the finished version on a big screen the night before the panel, he said he couldn't believe what they'd captured. The terrain (narrow paths, sheer drops, no guardrails) presented real challenges for a camera crew hiking alongside them.
Syncretismo and the Comedy of Hidden Meaning
One of the more unexpected threads of the panel came from Bob's experience walking through churches in Peru and learning about ‘syncretismo:’ the blending of indigenous Incan beliefs into Catholic imagery after the Spanish conquest. Symbols hidden in plain sight that the Spaniards wouldn't recognize for what they were.
Carolina connected it immediately to the subversive streak that runs through Bob and David's comedy — the idea that you can say something true while appearing to say something else entirely.
Bob agreed without missing a beat: "That's what comedy's about."
When Carolina asked if there was ever a point that either of them wanted to give up on the hike, David's answer was matter-of-fact. There's no easy out. You can't call an Uber. Day three — the one everybody warns you about — broke him down to something close to a wall. But he kept going. Bob saw it a little differently.
"I'm glad it was so hard," he said. "It cracks you open.”
The beauty of the trail, they both agreed, is inseparable from all of that. It's constantly stunning, even when it's the most challenging. Maybe especially then.
Hollywood, Social Media, and Staying Yourself
The panel's final stretch was reflective, and it landed with the kind of clarity that only comes from people who've been at this long enough to have real perspective. Bob talked about a line from the documentary that resonated deeply with the room: “I always hated how Hollywood made me care about things I don't care about.”
He described how, before kids, he'd use the break between show seasons to travel and get distance from the industry vortex. That distance is harder to find now. The hike gave it back.
David spoke to how fatherhood has changed his perspective as well — how he thinks about his choices, his behavior, and what kind of work he wants to do and why.
"I think about my behavior and see things in this way I never did before," he said. "Who are you going to be? Who are you? This project you're going to do."
Bob, who has also gone through a similar recalibration, recognized it immediately. He's been asking himself similar questions: about aging, about what's worth his time, about what movies exist for a 67-year-old, with the same mix of humor and genuine reckoning.
The comedy industry, they both agreed, may be on the verge of something. People are remembering that watching something funny with a room full of strangers is worth leaving the house for. That feels like an opening.
Watch the Full Podcast
The conversation covered decades of friendship, the making of a stunning documentary, the physical brutality of the Inca Trail, and what it looks like to stay grounded in an industry that works hard to pull you away from yourself.
For GreenSlate, being part of conversations like this one at Tribeca is an extension of our commitment to the filmmakers, producers, and storytellers who make independent film possible. 'Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu' is exactly the kind of project we're proud to support: Personal, unexpected, and genuinely worth watching.
Learn more about GreenSlate's 22 client projects at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival.
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About Angle on Producers
Angle on Producers spotlights producers from all corners of the entertainment industry by leaning into the realities of what it takes to do this work. Hosted by Emmy-nominated producer Carolina Groppa, the show goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the craft, challenges, and unfiltered truths behind one of Hollywood's most essential — and often misunderstood — roles.
Learn more and listen at angleonproducers.com and subscribe on Substack at angleonproducers.substack.com.
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