Stretching along the river Ganges rests Varanasi, the holiest of India’s seven sacred cities, and a place where devout Hindus go to die in hopes of achieving moksha - becoming liberated from the cycle of rebirth. Hindu scriptures say that a soul has to undergo 8.4 million rebirths before reaching the human form, the only form one can attain moksha, and dying in Varanasi and being cremated along the banks of the river is believed to be the ideal way of achieving this. Several so-called ‘death hotels’ exist to accommodate believers who abandon their lives and come here in wait for death - some for as long as 40 years.
Director: Dan Braga Ulvestad
Producer: Charu Menon
DOP: Caleb Ware
In association with Heckler
Executive Producers: Charu Menon, Jamie Watson, Will Alexander, Media StockadeFinanced in association with Screen Australia.Editor: Andrew Holmes
Colourist: Greg Constantaras
Assistant Editor: Adrian Maurici
Production Company (India): ShotReady Productions
Line Producer (India): Siddharth Bhavnani
Production Manager (India) Neha Gowda
Assistant Camera: Esteban Rivera
Original Music Score: Dustin Lau
Sound Design: Rubin Henkel & Nylon Studios
Re-Recording Mixer: Casimir von Oettingen
Official Selection:
DocEdge, 2020
St Kilda Film Festival, 2020 (Nominated for 3 Awards including 'Best Documentary')
Euregion Film Festival 2020
Melbourne Documentary film festival 2020
Antenna Film Festival 2019
Ozdox Documentary Festival 2019
UNAFF 2020
DocsMX 2020
Broadcast:
ABC - Australia in March 2020
Other Accolades:
Young Directors Award - Shortlist
Gold Tripod at National ACS Awards 2020
Silver for Editing at Oslo International Film Festival 2019
Trailer featured in Best Ads of the world
Prayer of the Mothers
Writer/Director/Editor: Paul Nevison
DOP: Caleb Ware
Sound Mix: Brett Anthony Shaw
Composer: Ryan Taubert
Colourist: Matic Prusnik
Additional cinematography(Lebanon): Dan Khoueiry
Thanks to
Dan Khoueiry
Rachael Carter
April Hildred

