Fire of Love

Miranda July gives voice to the tragic love story of pioneering volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft.

Katia and Maurice Krafft loved two things – each other and volcanoes.

For two decades, the daring French volcanologists roamed the planet, chasing eruptions and documenting their discoveries in still photography and on 16mm film. Sadly, they lost their lives in a 1991 volcanic explosion, but their work endures in an overwhelmingly beautiful film archive that thoroughly enriched our knowledge of the natural world.

Fire of Love is a lyrical celebration of the intrepid scientists’ spirit of adventure, drawing from their remarkable archive. It tells a story of primordial creation and destruction, following two bold explorers as they venture into the unknown, all for the sake of love.

Curator’s note

Director Sara Dosa’s much-loved and acclaimed documentary is adored for unravelling its story of love, obsession and tragedy against the backdrop of Katia and Maurice Krafft’s spectacular cinematography. Threading all of this together is Miranda July’s on-point narration, which strikes just the right tone of sensitivity and wonder.

Fire of Love premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and wound up receiving a staggering number of accolades by the end of its run in festivals and cinemas, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary.

– Reece Goodwin, Curator (Film & TV)