Movie Fire of Love Katya and Maurice Craft's volcanic passion

Movie 'Fire of Love', Katya and Maurice Craft's. Katia, Me and Volcanoes is a love story, written by the famous volcanologist Maurice Craft, who both felt for this phenomenon of nature. A passion that infects us in the wonderful documentary Fire ofLove, Sara Dosa The Last Season, a true gem that recreates the couple's story using stunning footage recorded by the volcano's eruption. Beautiful and an award-winning documentary in Barcelona which is buzzing for the Oscars and opens in theaters on Friday, August 26

Movie 'Fire of Love', Katya and Maurice Craft's volcanic passion

For 25 years 1966-1991, Katiaand Maurice Craft traveled the world to film volcanic eruptions and learn everything about them, which made them celebrities. They entered the inaugural crater, so we asked Sara if she thought they were visionary or reckless: I think both things and more, they are artists, writers, filmmakers, philosophers, intellectuals, evangelists. To me they were able to understand their place in the universe And, on a personal level, they are like my guides, I have learned a lot from them Above all, I learned what it means to live life with a purpose and to be guided by love.

 

Wonderful pictures, love and humor

Katya was a geologist and Maurice was a geologist In 1866 they fell in love and decided to spend the rest of their lives traveling the world studying volcanic eruptions. Zaire, Hawaii, Indonesia, America, Japan...Maurice shot on 16mm and Katia photographed the crater at the foot. The same picture was never seen, so they quickly became famous Fire of Love is assembled from over 200 hours of unpublished archival material and personal notes and writings of Katya and Maurice, as well as interviews with both. An extraordinary document that reveals the love story of two pioneers who devoted their lives to the study of volcanoes.

 

But they're not as memorable today, except in France, which is why we asked Sarah how she discovered these characters. I was doing research for my previous documentary, The Seer and the Invisible (2019), which is the story of an Icelandic woman who communicates with nature's spirits. We need stock footage of volcanoes to show that Earth is a living, magical thing And there were very few people who recorded images of the volcano's eruption in the 1970s, the time we were looking for.

 

"I was immediately drawn to how I found them and the stunning images they recorded with the limited means of time," he added. But after listening to Katya and Maurice, discovering their love for each other, how funny they are and how they share that passion for volcanoes... When I discovered that personal part, I decided there was a story there that deserved to be told.  "

 

 

Katya and Maurice Craft's 

Volcanoes, Philosophy, Science and Poetry

Sara Dosa usually includes many poems in her images and in her documentaries And the fire of love is no exception: finding the balance between the description and those wonderful images is a great challenge. At first we just wanted to use their words But their archival appearances and dialogue were limited, so we had to add that voice-over from filmmaker Miranda July Billionaire, who, in addition to narrating the story, also asks us questions, some of them philosophical.

 

Thats because I discovered that in their films in their images. Katia and Maurice have a great influence from the French Nouvelle Vague and thats something we wanted to include in the documentary adds the filmmaker. In addition they were also philosophers, writers and poets And in their books they asked the reader countless questions about existence and existentialism. The great writer Ions 1909- 1994 wrote the prologue to one of his books, Los Volcano 1975. That gives you an idea of ​​​​the extent to which they included philosophy in their books. Thats why we decided that our narration mixed science and poetry. It is true that it is a very complicated mix, but we always use them as guides to stay true to their spirit.

 

Still from the 'fire of love'

They wanted to live their lives according to the song of the country

At one point in the documentary, Katya and Maurice Craft admit that they decided to sacrifice their personal lives, and even give up having children for the love of the volcano. Sarah explained that they absolutely loved the world of volcanoes and the adventure that surrounded all those expeditions. So they built their lives on that obsession They claim that they want to live according to the song of the country; That is, without responsibilities, without a schedule, without kids, without a boss A more natural life And it is true that they sacrificed many things to follow and chase the volcano They called themselves the 'Volcanic Corridor'.

 

But adds the filmmaker, there is a turning point in their lives where they begin to understand the destructive power of volcanoes. Then they begin to develop deeper human relationships with the team they work with and see themselves a little more as communicators, storytellers. Trying to pass on other parts of their knowledge about volcanoes to others and people are also interested in the subject.

 

And after the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia (November 13, 1985), where 25,000 people died, they felt an additional responsibility to educate society about the power and dangers of volcanoes. So yes, I think there is a clear evolution in his work, that he becomes more and more responsible.

 

Katya Craft in a defensive suit

 

His contribution to the world of volcanoes

Some contemporary volcanologists see them as crazy for such a risk when filming volcanoes. We asked Sarah what she thought were the contributions of Katia and Maurice Craft to volcanology: I would say that they grew up at the same time as that science. They arrived at a time when people became more interested in this science and they helped popularize it all over the world

 

He proceeded to get close to the volcano and record the eruption, which had never happened before Their contribution to this science is unique because, in a way, they were able to draw a map for their followers and develop the technology needed to study volcanoes. And the moments they recorded have been left for posterity They were completely pioneering in this way of recording volcanoes, so close, because it had never been done before They were also the first to create a chemical laboratory on the ground, which allowed them to, and it was impressive.

 

But Sar continues, I believe his most important contribution to volcanology is that his work has inspired many people to come to this world. One of the film's editors has a brother who is a volcanologist, and he says he was inspired to do it by a craft book he read as a teenager.

 

So adds the filmmaker, I think they've expanded the world of volcanoes, even if they have their share of controversy for the extreme risk involved in filming. Because they were two people who followed their passion with great passion It should also be noted that other volcanologists died there like them, such as David Alexander Johnston (1949 – 1980), who died during the 1980. Helena (Washington State). But not only do you have to live with that romantic notion, you also have to understand that it's a tough world and it requires sacrifice.

 

Katya Maurice Craft

On June 3, 1991, they were caught in a pyroclastic flow while filming the eruption of Mount Unzen in Japan. They died instantly along with 40 journalists. They only recovered a camera and a watch from them. A day before his death, Maurice declared: I am never afraid, because I have seen so many eruptions in 23 years that I don't care if I die tomorrow.

 

Fire of Love is the most beautiful tribute that can be paid to these pioneers of volcanoes and its wonderful and poetic imagery can only be properly enjoyed in theaters from Friday, August 26.

 

Still from the 'fire of love'