Alfred Pach is a cultural anthropologist, and writer, producer and co-editor who has worked with Ramesh Khadka, an acclaimed Nepali filmmaker on the documentary, Dancing in Fire: Khalikhane Fire-Walking and Ritual Healing in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. A powerful and deeply sacred ceremony that has never been filmed before.
Alfred Pach has studied this ritual and ceremonial complex for many years. He has conducted research on Hindu religion and culture, and the social and cultural life, related to traditional ritual healing, gender and the history of a Hindu village in Nepal.
He has also worked in global health for over 20 years, conducting studies at policy, health system and community levels integrating multiple levels of information to support the effective implementation of programs in the US, Asia and Africa.

Dancing in Fire: Khalikhane Fire-Walking and Ritual Healing in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal.
This film documents for the first time the spirit possession testimonies and the Khalikhane fire-walking ceremony in a Hindu village in the Kathmandu Valley. It addresses the challenge faced by individuals and families throughout the world in being able to fully grieve the traumatic loss of loved ones. The documentary captures the important rituals that provide the foundation for the Khalikhane fire-walking ceremony. The ceremony supports the liberation of the spirits of family members who died unnatural, often violent deaths, and so were denied traditional Hindu mortuary rituals. Trapped as wandering spirits, they cause illness and misfortune, as they seek to be released from their suffering earthly existence. Invoked by a ritual specialist these spirits possess family members who describe the events of their death and enter the Khalikhane fire-walking ceremony to be released to the divine ancestral realm. Family members impacted by the tragic loss of loved ones describe how this ceremony provided relief from everyday suffering, processed their grief and ensured the liberation and spiritual elevation of the soul of their deceased family members. This documentary is a testament to the power of ritual and community to heal and process the pain of the tragic death of family members.