Before Leonardo DiCaprio abandons Earth for Mars, he's hoping to save it. The Academy Award-winning actor and U.N. Messenger of Peace has famously engaged in environmental activism for years, and is now using his stardom to fight climate change via the medium he knows best: film.
DiCaprio teamed up with National Geographic and director Fisher Stevens for Before the Flood, a new documentary that follows the actor around the world to explore global warming's impacts and illuminate its solutions. The three-year journey saw Leo interview individuals from every facet of society in both developing and developed nations to gather their unique, impassioned, and pragmatic views on what must be done to prevent catastrophic disruption to life on our planet.
“In our minds, there is no more important story to tell, no more important issue facing our planet than that of climate change,” said Courteney Monroe, CEO of National Geographic Global Networks.
“At National Geographic,” she continued, “we believe in the power of storytelling to change the world, and this unprecedented release across digital and streaming platforms is not only a first for our network but also in our industry, underscoring how exceptional we think this film is and how passionate we are about it. We are committed to ensuring as many people as possible see this film as we head into U.S. elections.”
DiCaprio called climate change the single greatest threat to the future of our society and urged voters to make it a top issue during the American election season. “Fisher and I set out to make a film to educate people around the planet on the urgent issues of climate change and to inspire them to be part of the solution,” he said. “I applaud National Geographic for their commitment to bringing this film to as many people as possible at such a critical time.”
In fact, National Geographic is so committed to the cause that Before The Flood was made available for free on October 20 across a variety of platforms, including Natgeotv.com, VOD/Video On Demand (through MVPD set-top boxes), MVPD Sites and Apps, Nat Geo TV Apps (iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, Roku, Android phones, Xbox One and 360, Samsung Connected TVs), iTunes, Hulu, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Sony PlayStation, GooglePlay, and more.
But here's the catch: today is the last day the film will be viewable for free, so now's the time to watch.
While you're at it, use the hashtag #BeforeTheFlood on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Between now and November 18, 21st Century Fox and National Geographic will donate $1 to Pristine Seas and $1 to the Wildlife Conservation Society (up to $50,000 to each organisation) for every use of the hashtag.
You can watch Before The Flood in full above.