Fire of Love is not your ordinary nature documentary - it is a love letter to science. For two decades, French couple and volcanologists KatiaKraftt and Maurice Kraftt were enchanted by majestic eruptions and hypnotized by fiery lava. Throughout their careers, the couple goes head-on with numerous active volcanoes, often getting a bit too close and personal to the point of risking their lives. But the Kraffts’ unwavering commitment to the passion is unshaken. The film goes deep into their relationship with each other and nature before the tragedy that engulfs them in their final moments.
On January 20, 2022, Fire of Love had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, coming home with the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award in the U.S. Documentary category. The project has been in the works since March 2021, when Sara Dosa was announced as the director of this trailblazing documentary. Find out how you can watch Fire of Love with this handy guide.
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Is Fire of Love Still in Movie Theaters?
Unfortunately, Fire of Love is no longer playing in movie theaters. So if you wanted to see the movie on the big screen, you might be out of luck. Though there is always a chance the film returns to theaters in the next few months, as the film will likely be a major player in the awards race.
Is Fire of Love Streaming Online?
As of November 11, 2022, Fire of Love is now available to stream on Disney+. So if you missed your chance to watch the film during its virtual premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival or during its theatrical release this past July and you are a Disney+ subscriber, you're in luck.
Watch the Official Trailer for Fire of Love
National Geographic and NEON released the trailer for Fire of Love on June 1, 2022, on their YouTube channels. Narrated by Miranda July, the trailer features videos of Katia and Maurice during their volcanic expeditions. Venturing from one volcano to another, the film goes beyond your average nature documentary. Instead, it is a celebration of the Kraffts’ undeniable and unquestionable love for each other and volcanoes.
Accompanied by quintessentially French pop tunes and French New Wave cinema references, Fire of Love is a story about love: the love Katia and Maurice have for each other and their love for volcanoes. Featuring hundreds of footage shining a light on the couple, who are always within a few feet of deadly volcanic eruptions, you can’t help but be both terrified and mesmerized by the passion for their craft before dying in the very thing that brought them together.
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What Is Fire of Love About?
Here's the official synopsis for Fire of Love:
Katia and Maurice Krafft loved two things — each other and volcanoes. For two decades, the daring French volcanologist couple roamed the planet, chasing eruptions and documenting their discoveries. Ultimately, they lost their lives in a 1991 volcanic explosion, leaving a legacy that forever enriched our knowledge of the natural world. Director Sara Dosa and the filmmaking team fashion a lyrical celebration of the intrepid scientists’ spirit of adventure, drawing from the Kraffts’ spectacular archive. FIRE OF LOVE tells a story of primordial creation and destruction, following two bold explorers as they venture into the unknown, all for the sake of love.
Katia and Maurice were more than just volcano enthusiasts - they dedicated their entire lives to exploring volcanic eruptions. The pair first met each other on an unsuspecting blind date and formed a long-lasting bond with their shared love for volcanoes. Considered to be the pioneers of volcano documentation, the daring couple was one of the first to get up close with lava flows to film, photograph, and record volcanoes. The result? Some of the most magnificent and magical photos and videos of volcanoes to date.
In 1991, Katia and Maurice were caught in a pyroclastic flow while venturing at Mount Unzen in Japan. Along with 41 other people, including volcanologist Harry Glicken, firefighters, and journalists, they were unexpectedly caught off guard by a lava channel that swept into the ridge they were standing on. Although their lives were cut short abruptly, it’s tragically beautiful that Katia and Maurice died doing together doing the thing they loved most.
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More Films By Sara Dosa That You Can Watch Now
The Seer and the Unseen: exploring one woman’s moral crusade to protect ancient volcanic rock formations in Iceland from the greedy hands of corporations and the government, The Seer and the Unseen is more magical than you might think. The documentary follows Ragnhildur "Ragga" Jónsdóttir, an environmental seeker and seer who speaks on behalf of all the beings living in nature - we’re talking about local elves, trolls, and the likes of these creatures. Like a real-life Lorax, Ragga acknowledges these ancient areas in the harbor town of Hafnarfjörður as invisible spaces for these hidden people. To corporations, these natural lava fields are monetary opportunities. But to Ragga, they’re sacred homes for creatures beyond our imagination. It’s a classic tale between capitalism versus traditional beliefs, two forces that continuously shape our physical environments.
The Last Season: in the rural forests of Chemult, Oregon, lies an unlikely friendship between elderly Vietnam vet Roger Higgins and Cambodian immigrant Kouy Loch. Every September, hundreds of seasonal workers of Cambodian, Lao, Thai, Hmong, and Mien ethnicities set up a temporary camp near Higgins' home. Waiting for the small snowfall, these gentlemen will scour the lush woods of Klamath County in search of the prized matsutake mushrooms, a rare fungus highly in demand in the Japanese market. Higgins, alienated and traumatized from years of war, worked in the woods with Loch, who learned how to forage for food when he grew up as a starving slave laborer under the Khmer Rouge. The duo bonded like father and son and understood each other’s shared pain of their experience during the Southeast Asian regimes. But as time passes by, Higgins grows too sick to do anything, leaving Kouy venturing alone into the forests. The Last Season celebrates the camaraderie of a modern mushroom hunter’s camp, an endearing tale about nature and life.
ReMastered Track 2: Tricky Dick and The Man In Black: music and politics always had a complicated relationship. The documentary explores the relationship between acclaimed American country music singer-songwriter Johnny Cash and President Richard Nixon, which heightened when Cash was invited to perform at the White House in 1970. Cash, whose ideals and beliefs clashed with Nixon’s, became conflicted - primarily since President Nixon intended to utilize Cah’s rising rock-n-roll influence to score a dedicated fanbase within his traditional, conservative group of supporters. But Cash being Cash, eventually comes up with something that surprises everyone, including the president.