Spreading Yogananda’s message in a film

Lisa Kaz, co-owner of the Los Angeles Auto Show, and filmmaker Jonathan Yudis have their work cut out for them as producers of a proposed $12 million movie about the life of Indian mystic Paramahansa Yogananda, who introduced America to yoga in the 1920s.

Kaz attends Ananda Worldwide and Yudis the Self-Realization Fellowship, California-based religious organizations that have long been at odds, although they share the same meditation techniques and spiritual master: Yogananda.

“Since our master was all about harmony and compassion, it’s a shame that there is still so much bitterness between Ananda and the fellowship,” Kaz said. “I’m hoping that my work with Jonathan will help get Yogananda’s message out to as many people as possible, that’s the bottom line.

“But I also hope that, by example, we can help bridge the gap between our organizations in a way that could lead to reconciliation,” she said.

The rift began in 1962 when Swami Sri Kriyananda, a Yogananda disciple whose birth name was J. Donald Walters, was pushed out of the Los Angeles-based fellowship. In 1998, he established Ananda in the Sierra Nevada foothills town of Nevada City, Calif.

In 1990, the fellowship filed a lawsuit against Ananda to secure exclusive rights to Yogananda’s teachings, name, likeness, voice and use of the term “self-realization.”

The case was resolved in 2002 with a jury verdict determining that Ananda had infringed on certain copyrights. But it also said the terms “Paramahansa Yogananda” and “self-realization” could not be trademarked.

Different interpretations of Yogananda’s teachings, as well as lingering rivalries and suspicions, are at the heart of the ongoing divide.

Kaz, 47, and Yudis, 38, teamed up in February to create a cinematic portrait of Yogananda based on a script by Kriyananda called “The Wayshower.” They expect the project, which is scheduled to start filming next year, to be funded by investors including members of both Ananda and the fellowship willing to overlook their leaders’ political warfare.

The two crossed paths when Yudis answered a call on Facebook for professional assistance with the project.

“We’re a terrific team: I’m a businesswoman and Jonathan is a trained filmmaker,” said Kaz, who has formed a production company to spearhead the film.

Yudis said he consulted with his spiritual teacher at the fellowship before raising money for the film, which includes Kriyananda as a secondary character who reminisces about Yogananda. His teacher responded with a quiet blessing, Yudis said.

“So we’re moving ahead with this project,” the filmmaker said. “At the end of the day, if we make a beautiful film, people will stop me and say, ‘Hey, Jonathan, you and Lisa managed to transcend all the ugly politics and create something Yogananda would be proud of.’ ”