Some more news is bubbling out of Sundance Film Festival as the documentary Fire of Love has just been acquired by National Geographic Documentary Films. The documentary tells the story of French scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died attempting to capture the explosive beauty of active volcanoes.
The film is narrated by notable writer and filmmaker Miranda July, was directed by Sara Dosa, who has previously directed The Seer and the Unseen, a documentary film that employs magical realism to tell the story of a woman trying to preserve the natural beauty of Iceland. The film's Sundance premiere garnered a large amount of praise, with Variety calling it “a spellbinding experience,” and The Hollywood Reporter declaring it to be “a gorgeously photographed, dreamily constructed portrait.” The film will be compiled of rare archival footage of the two scientists, giving an immediacy to the romantic, fiery, and tragic story.
Upon the announcement of National Geographic's acquirement of the film, Dosa said, “[w]e are absolutely honored to begin our journey with National Geographic Documentary Films." She continued, “[t]hey champion cinematic storytelling about the wonders and power of the natural world, so there is truly no better fit for our ode to love and volcanoes. We are thrilled to take this next step with them to bring the awe-inspiring story of the Kraffts to audiences worldwide.”
National Geographic Documentary Films will give the film a theatrical release later this year. Carolyn Bernstein, EVP of Scripted Content and Documentary Films for National Geographic said of the film, “Fire of Love is an eruption of poetry, wonder and romance, a love letter to the natural world and to love itself.” She continued, “We are honored to collaborate with the immensely talented Sara Dosa and her exceptional filmmaking team on this captivating and visually splendid film.”
The film comes from Sandbox Films and Intuitive Pictures. It is Cottage M production. The film features an original score by Nicolas Godin, who is a member of the band Air. The film is edited by Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput. Fire of Love is produced by Shane Boris and Ina Fichman. The film is executive produced by Greg Boustead and Jessica Harrop.
This is not National Geographic's first go at theatrically released documentary films. They have previously released Free Solo, which won an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and seven Emmys. They also released the Academy Award-nominated film The Cave. In 2021 National Geographic Documentary Films released Becoming Cousteau, Fauci, The First Wave, The Rescue and Torn.
Fire of Love has not been given an exact release date, but will be released to theaters.