Directors of ‘Into the Ice’ and ‘Fire of Love’ on Making Science Films Sexy

variety.com:

Lise Pedersen Filmmakers Sara Dosa and Lars Ostenfeld, whose docs “Fire of Love” and “Into the Ice” are vying for the top Dox:Award at Copenhagen Intl.

Documentary Film Festival, have opened up about the creative challenges of making films about science and climate change during a morning talk at the fest’s industry events.Dosa’s “Fire of Love,” which premiered at Sundance where it was picked up by National Geographic Films, is a lyrical archival collage of extraordinary archive material about the lives of French volcanologists Maurice and Katia Krafft.Asked how she chose her story, Dosa explained that she came across them when researching her previous film set in Iceland (“The Seer and the Unseen”), and knew they were the perfect fit. “I am endlessly curious about the human relationship with nature, specifically through the lens of myth or allegory – and how a central metaphor can tease out wider themes about the sentience of the natural world, breaking down this false narrative of a distinction between humans and nature.”“Fire of Love” was edited during the 2020 pandemic, and Dosa said it offered a welcome escape from lockdown. “In those moments of isolation, fear and uncertainty, getting to be transported through their footage was revelatory – and to have our minds ignited through curiosity in such times of uncertainty was such a gift.”Curiosity was also what pushed Ostenfeld to film and become one of the protagonists of “Into the Ice,” an epic cinematic adventure with three leading glaciologists into the mystery of Greenland’s melting ice sheet, which will be hitting the festival circuit after Copenhagen.Overcoming his fear of helicopter flight, Ostenfeld found himself looking down into a 180 meter deep dark ice.