Filmmaker Will Allen spent decades documenting Michel, a charismatic guru who leads a sect called Buddhafield. Allen's film "Holy Hell" -- airing Thursday, September 1, on CNN -- reveals the darker side to what many followers thought was utopia but now believe is a cult. These portraits of Michel, taken by Allen, offer a rare glimpse into the organization and its leader.
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Buddhafield began in West Hollywood, California, in the 1980s. Michel formed the close-knit sect with the promise that his followers could aspire to an artistic, utopian, communal life.
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At a "Knowing" retreat, Michel said he would lead Buddhafield members to meet God directly, but only if he determined they were ready.
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Michel boasted of having once danced with the Oakland Ballet. He had his followers practice and perform ballet at the Buddhafield compound. The members would put on elaborate performances -- for themselves only.
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This and many of the other Photoshopped images of Michel were featured in a calendar that "Holy Hell" filmmaker Allen created for the spiritual leader.
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"He spoke as if he had gone into the cosmos, and come back, and was here to tell us about it and take us there," Allen said.
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Allen, pictured here, spent 22 years as Michel's assistant, documenting life inside Buddhafield.
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In the early 1990s, Michel moved his followers to Austin, Texas, and changed his name after the Cult Awareness Network reportedly raised concerns.
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Michel also gave his followers new names to help them create a new way of seeing themselves, according to the film. Allen said he was given the name "Francesco."
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Michel appears inside the gardens of Buddhafield's compound in Austin.
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In this image, Allen told Vanity Fair that Michel represents the Hindu god Hanuman, a monkey. "This is how I always imagined that story would look," Allen explained to the publication. "When the monkey tore his chest open, inside it was only light. I wanted to get Michel in a similar position: chest open, emanating that light."
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Another image of Michel appearing as a Hindu god. Allen told Vanity Fair that while Michel probably thought of himself as God, he told his followers that God exists inside everyone.
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Gradually, several Buddhafield members -- including filmmaker Allen -- left after accusing Michel of emotional manipulation and even sexual abuse. In an email, Michel called Allen's documentary "a work of fiction."