Content note: This film contains non-sexual nudity, shown as it occurs in traditional bathing practice. Viewer discretion is advised.

In Georgia’s Kakheti region, an ancient mud volcano murmurs against the vineyards and fruit orchards of the Alazani Valley. Recognized for its healing properties since the 19th century, the natural spa resort of Akhtala harnesses the ritual potential of its mineral-rich mud, rising from the cracks in the land’s surface as a living, breathing resource. Reflecting local knowledge and traditional beliefs, confirmed by laboratory analysis, the spa has become a destination for connecting with the land itself – and a quiet secret among those who venture here.

Akhtala is a site steeped in legend. Stories tell of a vanished village, Tala, swallowed by an earthquake and replaced overnight by a steaming grey pool. Since then, the land exhales softly here. Warm, silken mud rises daily — slow, steady, alive.

Travelling to Georgia, director Sasha Kulak observes the mud between the softly exhaling landscape, to the full-body treatments that transfer its restorative powers, for the short film The Great Mud of Akhtala. Against storytelling passed through generations and understanding shaped by engaging with this strange landscape, the short documentary captures the profound respect that connects the spa’s visitors and practitioners, seeking its healing mud to restore balance and wellbeing in accordance with nature.