The issue at stake when addressing the relationship between image and catastrophe is that of visibility. How can an event as real as a catastrophe be made visible? More importantly, what kinds of images can a natural catastrophe produce? These questions are the starting point for exploring the complex relationship between cinema — and cinéma du réel in particular — and catastrophic events. A few examples from the history of cinema will be examined, each of them providing reference points to help navigate this process of inquiry and answer these initial questions.