Earthworks Films

NAKED IN ASHES

A boy follows an ancient path and traditions as he undergoes a secret initiation in the Himalayas.

NAKED IN ASHES is a groundbreaking documentary; which offers an unprecedented look at the Eastern Yogi. These mystics leave everything material to embark on a spiritual quest. With honest simplicity; NAKED IN ASHES provides a magical glimpse into the world of these sages who find deep meaning in a life of chastity; austerity; and utter devotion.From covering themselves for warmth in the ashes of the dead; to pulling automobiles by their genitalia; the film’s candid portraits of ascetics whose only quest is to experience the Divine captivates both the eye and mind.

Richard Nilsen
Arizona Republic
Paula Fouce’s documentary about several of these yogis gives us a kind of cinma vrit peek into their lives as they perform their rituals and prepare for the great meeting, or Kumbh Mela, of yogis in Ujjain, held in 2003.

Michael Booth
Denver Post
Does so much of what we want from documentary — it teaches us new ways that lives can be lived. And religion or no, that always expands the spirit.

John McMurtrie
San Francisco Chronicle
An inspirational and cautionary film that documents the hermetic lives of a handful of Indian yogis.