"Himalaya Heaven"
In the week before the second war in Iraq, a group of foreign pilgrims travelled from the USA, France and Israel to spend time at the spiritual retreat of their guru, Sai Ma. This Ashram is nestled into the foothills of the Indian Himalaya. It's an arduous trek to make and possible only when the river is low. The final stage involves hitching a lift in the back of a cattle truck for a 7 hour journey that covers the last 30 miles of dense mountain jungle.
This documentary follows the pilgrims on their physical journey to the Ashram and their emotional journey there as they reflect on how their work with Sai Ma, at the coal face of the developing world, fits into the globalised and terrorised world as we know it.
On this most remote of productions Nick was responsible for camera, lighting and sound. The Ashram was well off the grid so batteries were charged through a solar panel. Nick developed a lightweight kit to meet this projects needs. While lugging it over the mountains he often wished it was lighter.
Shot on location in the state of Uttaranchal at the border between India and Nepal, March 2003.
Directed by Lenore French
Director of Photography and Preview Editor Nick Higgins
©Mataram Productions 2003
Recommendation;
I highly recommend you consider Nick Higgins as a Director of Photography for your next project. The results for Himalaya Heaven speak for themselves. The film was shot in Northern India during the heightened tensions surrounding the first week of the second Gulf War. The documentary’s subjects, members of a spiritual group, could have easily blanched at the prospect of having an outsider with a camera scrutinizing every aspect of their daily live. Instead, they warmed to Nick’s tremendous sensitivity, allowing the camera to blend into its surroundings, honoring us with unrestricted access at the ashram and also in the surrounding village.
Lenore French; Producer-Director; Mataram Productions
