This movie tells such an amazing story, that it's hard to believe it really happened
"Fire of Love," one of the most talked-about docu-films of the year, presents the incredible story of volcanologists Maurice and Katia Kraft.
In an interview ahead of his Israeli premiere at the Dokaviv Festival, director Sarah Dosa explains why this story continues to amaze her over and over again.
Avner Shavit
23/05/2022
Monday, 23 May 2022, 00:10 Updated: 01:49
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Trailer for the movie "Fire of Love" (Sundance Festival)
The Dokaviv Festival will open on Thursday, and there is no doubt that one of the most prominent international films to be screened in it is "The Fire of Love."
Sarah Dosa's film made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last January, and immediately became the hottest red apple in the docu-world.
The media showered him with praise from the floor, National Geographic acquired his screening rights for a large sum, and other festivals around the world were quick to add him to their repertoire.
Now, we can enjoy it with us too.
The film tells the story of Morris and Katya Kraft, volcanic researchers who shared their personal and professional lives, and remained together in fire and water - in the most literal sense of the word.
They met in the mid-1960s and for twenty-five years did not shy away from any danger, exploring every possible active volcano - from Japan to Iceland.
If that's not enough, the two also look like they came out of Wes Anderson's "Deep in the Water," making them perfect cinematic characters, rich in style that can no longer be found today.
In the past, an archive segment featuring them has emerged in a Werner Herzog film, and now comes Dosa's Pearl, which dedicates the entire stage to them.
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soul mates.
Morris and Katya Kraft in "The Fire of Love" (Photo: Dokaviv Festival)
"Even though I've dug into the story of Morris and Katya so much, every time I think about it I am amazed anew," Dosa says in an interview with Walla!
Culture in preparation for the screening of the film.
"It sounds like a fairy tale: they were two twin souls, with a very common and specific interest, who happened to be born almost in those years, and a few tens of miles apart in Alsace, France. They met by chance, and did not separate. Is there such a thing as a 'twin soul'? "Is there such a thing as 'the love of your life'? Are there couples who are meant to be together? At least according to their case, the answer is yes."
Katya and Morris left behind a groundbreaking study and also about fifty hours of archive footage, which were the basis for Dosa's film.
"Everything they filmed was important to them, and my job was to understand why it was important to them," she says.
"When they filmed an eruption of a volcano, it was easier to understand, but when they filmed Katya looking at the sun, it was more complex. Each of the archive footage embodies within it something they learned about life. They all carry with them some existential weight."
How well-known were the two in France?
"Very familiar. They were not rock stars, but they appeared a lot on TV. Whenever there was a volcanic eruption, they were invited to speak. They understood that there was a public curiosity about the subject, and they knew how to exploit it and also mediate their knowledge in a communicative way, with "A lot of humor, and they went through a screen. Everything about them was authentic, but they had awareness."
"I talked to a lot of French people about the film, and a lot of them have some kind of affinity for the story of Morris and Katia, and some kind of nostalgia for them. I'm glad to say that no Frenchman has complained about the film yet! "Therefore, I did research not only on the experiences of Morris and Katia, but also on the way the French tell their stories."
If you could ask Morris and Katya one question, what would you ask?
"This is a question I think about a lot. There are no talking heads in the film, but at the interrogation stage we talked to 15 people who were close to both of them, and that affected the script.
"Morris and Katya represent to me a romantic ideal, and I wonder if it's true or just an illusion. I think they never looked back, but maybe it's a misconception? I wonder if they had any regrets after all, and if it was a small or big regret. "I'm constantly thinking of new questions I would ask, and I'm deeply saddened that I did not meet them."
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She studied anthropology, doing film.
Sarah Dosa (Photo: GettyImages, Greg Doherty)
Dosa, a native of California, attended Veslian University, where Lynn Manuel Miranda also recently graduated, and surprisingly did not study film but anthropology.
"My mother lectures in anthropology and it's something that accompanies me all my life, and even now," she says.
"What interests me in my films is understanding how people find meaning in nature, and studying anthropology helps me understand that."
From all this it may sound like an academic and dry film, but "Fire of Love", as the name implies, is hot and full of romance, and is one of the most artistic, cinematic and creative docu-works of the year.
Among other things, Dosa boasts charming animated clips, narration by multidisciplinary artist Miranda Jolie and soundtrack by Nicola Gooden, half of the Air duo.
"At first we thought of bringing in a French announcer, but then Miranda's idea came up, and I was very excited, because she's an artist who has influenced me for many years," says the director.
"It has a curiosity, a poeticness, and an interest in the love and ephemerality of life, and that suited the spirit of the film."
"As for the soundtrack - we wanted music that would further enhance the emotional effect, not only of the volcanoes but also of the love story. We wanted a French composer who would have some connection to the story or period in which it took place, The work on the film. "
If Morris and Katya were alive, what would they say about the state of the climate and the state of the world?
"They must have been very disappointed. They were born during or immediately after World War II and grew up in the Vietnam War, so it was unfortunate for them to see that there are still wars, what's more human wars seem so small and miserable compared to volcanoes. Ecological crises would also break "Their hearts. After all, they dedicated their lives to making people love and care for the planet."
Werner Herzog on Morris and Katya
There are quite a few Hollywood movies about volcanoes.
Have you tried to avoid their clichés?
"We always laughed when we screened 'Volcano' at the production's graduation party. Hollywood movies use the volcano as a kind of villainous archetype, and I wanted to avoid that. For me volcanoes are neither good nor bad. They are complex characters. They are the power of creation and the power of destruction. Morris would say "Every volcano has its own personality, and I also like to think of them in this way, which is very different from their representation in Hollywood."
In your eyes, is it a spoiler to write that Morris and Katya are dead?
"Death has accompanied their whole lives. When you chase volcanoes, you know life can end in an instant. I built the film as a story of a race against the clock, and I mention the death of Morris and Katya six minutes into the film, so to me it's not a spoiler, but a part. "Essential to the story. Feel free to write that they died."
The film has been screened in many places around the world.
Are you excited about the screening in Dokaviv?
"Very, I'm a big fan of this festival and it's an honor that it's screened at it."
"Fire of Love" will be screened at the Dokaviv Festival on Thursday 26.5 at 19:00, on Wednesday 1.6 at 21:30 and on Sunday 5.6 at 20:45.
It will also be available for online viewing from Thursday 26.5 to 5.6.
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