National Geographic Documentary Films and NEON Set July 6, 2022, as the Theatrical Release Date for Sundance Sensation FIRE OF LOVE

The Miranda July Narrated Film, Which Currently Has a 100% Rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Will Open Theatrically in Select Cities Before Rolling Out Nationwide

Link to trailer: https://youtu.be/oMArx64RBO4
Link to download trailer: https://app.shift.io/review/62967bbff6e2ae053c73e113
Link to artwork: https://www.dropbox.com/s/y6r6ixz1en6puv7/NG_FireOfLove_KeyArt_Vertical.jpg?dl=0

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, National Geographic Documentary Films and NEON released the official trailer and key art for FIRE OF LOVE, the award-winning feature documentary from director Sara Dosa (“The Seer and the Unseen”), Sandbox Films, Intuitive Pictures and Cottage M. Produced by Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman, executive produced by Greg Boustead and Jessica Harrop, and edited by Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput, the Miranda July-narrated film premiered to rave reviews as the Day One selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition and won Sundance’s Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award. It has since played at many prestigious festivals, including New Directors/New Films, Hot Docs, True/False, CPH:DOX and Doc10. It is currently “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with a rare 100% Critics Rating.

The film tells the extraordinary love story of intrepid French scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died just as explosively as they lived — capturing the most spectacular imagery ever recorded of their greatest passion: volcanoes. Following its Sundance premiere, the film was hailed by Variety as “a spellbinding experience” and The Hollywood Reporter as “a gorgeously photographed, dreamily constructed portrait.”

FIRE OF LOVE will be released in theaters in select cities on Wednesday, July 6, and will continue to roll out nationwide throughout the summer. The film has already won a long list of awards during its festival run, including the Visions du Réel Audience Award, The International Wildlife Film Festival’s Best Feature Award, The Independent Film Festival Boston’s Documentary Grand Jury Prize, SIFF’s Special Jury Prize and numerous others.

The two distributors previously partnered on last year’s release of the COVID-19 documentary “The First Wave.” As part of the new deal, NEON will release FIRE OF LOVE ahead of a planned streaming bow on Disney+.

In addition to its partnership with National Geographic Documentary Films on “The First Wave,” NEON’s recent releases in the documentary space include the three-time Academy Award^®-nominated Danish documentary “Flee,” from director Jonas Poher Rasmussen; Jamila Wignot’s “Ailey,” chronicling the life of dance pioneer Alvin Ailey; and “Totally Under Control,” a deep-dive into the U.S. government’s response in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

National Geographic Documentary Films previously released the Academy Award, BAFTA and seven-time Emmy^® Award-winning film “Free Solo” and the Academy Award-nominated film “The Cave.” In 2021, they released “Becoming Cousteau,” “Fauci,” “The First Wave,” “The Rescue” and “Torn.” Other critically acclaimed films under the banner include Ron Howard’s “Rebuilding Paradise”; Sundance Audience Award winners “Science Fair” and “Sea of Shadows”; Emmy winners “LA 92” and “Jane,” both of which were included in the top 15 documentaries considered for an Academy Award in 2017; and Dupont Award winner “Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of Isis.”

About National Geographic Documentary Films

National Geographic Documentary Films is committed to bringing the world premium, feature documentaries that cover timely, provocative and globally relevant stories from the very best documentary filmmakers in the world. National Geographic Documentary Films is a division of National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between Disney and the National Geographic Society. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 133 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About NEON

In just five years, NEON has garnered 18 Academy Award® nominations, 5 wins, including Best Picture, and has grossed over $180M at the box office. The company continues to push boundaries and take creative risks on bold cinema such as Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, which made history winning four Academy Awards®, becoming the first non-English-language film to claim Best Picture. The film, which also unanimously won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, has grossed over $53M at the domestic box office and broke multiple records. NEON has amassed a library of over 80 films with noteworthy releases including: Tamara Kotevska and Ljubo Stefanov’s award-winning and record-breaking Honeyland, which is the first non-fiction feature to land Academy Award® nominations for Best Documentary and Best International Feature Film in the same year; Todd Douglas Miller’s Apollo 11 which grossed $16M worldwide; Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winner, Titane; and Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya, which garnered multiple Academy Award® nominations, one win for Allison Janney and amassed over $30M in domestic box office.

The studio has several projects in various stages of development and production including: The Painter and the Thief narrative remake; Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool starring Alexander Skarsgård; an untitled horror film from first-time feature director Bishal Dutta; Joshua Oppenheimer’s The End, a golden-age musical starring Academy Award Winner Tilda Swinton; the documentary, Seeking Mavis Beacon from director Jazmin Jones; Cassandra at the Wedding based on the Dorothy Baker novel; and Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel, starring Julia Garner. Recent acquisitions and upcoming releases include; Jonas Carpignano’s sensation A Chiara; Beba, from New York Afro-Latina artist, Rebeca Huntt; Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman; and Ninja Thyberg’s daring debut feature Pleasure. NEON received 6 Oscar nominations for Flee, The Worst Person in the World and Spencer. Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s, Flee made history becoming the first film to score an impressive trifecta of Oscar nominations in the categories of Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature Film. The Worst Person in The World from Norwegian writer-director Joachim Trier was nominated for Original Screenplay and International Feature Film; and Kristen Stewart received a nomination for Best Actress in Pablo Larraín’s Spencer.

Additional recent releases include: Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria starring Tilda Swinton; the anthology feature The Year of the Everlasting Storm; Matthew Heineman’s documentary The First Wave; Nicolas Cage starrer, Pig; Jamila Wignot’s Ailey; Gunda directed by Victor Kossakovsky; Robert Machoian’s powerful thriller The Killing of Two Lovers; Billie Eilish’s documentary The World’s a Little Blurry; Ben Wheatley’s Horror Film In the Earth; Francis Lee’s romantic drama Ammonite starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan; Alex’s Gibney’s documentary Totally Under Control; Max Barbakow’s Palm Springs starring Andy Samberg; and Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Following a successful collaboration on I, Tonya in January 2018, 30WEST partnered with NEON’s Tom Quinn (Founder & CEO) and Tim League (Co-Founder) to become majority investors in the company.

About Sandbox Films

Sandbox Films is a multi-Emmy-nominated, mission-driven film company that specializes in creative and boundary-breaking documentaries rooted in scientific ideas that inform society and culture. Launched in 2020, our films include Fire of Love (dir. Sara Dosa), All Light, Everywhere (dir. The Anthony), and Fireball (dirs. Werner Herzog & Clive Oppenheimer), and have premiered at top-tier festivals around the world – including Sundance (where we won jury prizes in back-to-back years), SXSW, Telluride, Tribeca, Toronto, and CPH:DOX. Our films have gone on to be acquired and released globally by the world’s leading platforms and distributors — including Netflix, National Geographic Documentary Films, Apple Original Films, NEON, BBC, and PBS, among others. More at sandboxfilms.org.

About Intuitive Pictures

Montreal-based Intuitive Pictures is dedicated to producing innovative and engaging creative documentaries, narrative features and interactive projects in collaboration with international partners and for global audiences. We work with some of the most inspiring creative talent from around the world. Veteran producer/executive producer Ina Fichman helms the company. Over the years, our productions have premiered at top festivals such Sundance, Berlin, SXSW, Venice, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, TIFF, Locarno and many others. They have screened on platforms and networks worldwide.

About Cottage M

Cottage M is an independent production house focused on developing films that push the boundaries of conventional forms in order to tell timeless stories. Founded by Academy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning producer Shane Boris, Cottage M specializes in creative development, helping innovative and thought-provoking filmmakers find their voice and their audience. Cottage M Films have premiered at festivals like Sundance, Tribeca, and Locarno, screened in museums including The MOMA, and been acquired by platforms such as Netflix, HBO, and PBS. Boris was recently named by DOC NYC as one of the “40 under 40” working in documentary. He is also the co-founder of Joon, a multidisciplinary incubator.

Contacts

FOR PRESS INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:
Fire of Love – Rachel Allen, rachel@cineticmedia.com
National Geographic Documentary Films – Tiffany Malloy, malloy@tiffical.com
NEON – Claire Timmons, claire@neonrated.com