NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S BEFORE THE FLOOD SPREADS ENVIRONMENTAL MESSAGE TO MORE THAN 60 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE; SURPASSES RECORD-SETTING ONE BILLION MINUTES VIEWED
BEFORE THE FLOOD is Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Fisher Stevens, Trevor Davidoski, Jennifer Davisson, Brett Ratner and James Packer
and Executive Produced by Martin Scorsese
(Washington, D.C. - Nov. 16, 2016) - At a very poignant moment when the future of environmental policy hangs in the balance, National Geographic is pleased to announce that its climate change documentary BEFORE THE FLOOD has reached more than 60 million people worldwide and surpassed a record-setting one billion minutes viewed across linear, digital, streaming and social platforms - making it arguably one of the most watched documentaries in history and the most watched National Geographic film ever.
Produced by and starring Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio, with Academy Award-winning director Fisher Stevens; producers Trevor Davidoski, Jennifer Davisson, Brett Ratner and James Packer; and executive producer Martin Scorsese, the film presents a riveting account of the dramatic changes now occurring around the world due to climate change, as well as the actions we as individuals and as a society need to take to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet.
The news comes a year after the Paris Climate Accord was reached at COP 21, and one day after BEFORE THE FLOOD was screened at COP 22 in Marrakech, Morocco. In written remarks to introduce the film at the screening in Marrakech, director Fisher Stevens said: "Those of you in this room already know the urgency of this issue. You are here because you understand the problems and challenges we face as the human race moves into the future. By 2050 there may be almost 10 billion of us living on this planet. How can we sustain it at the rate we are going? How can we feed, clothe and have fresh water for that many people. We know something has got to give and we need a shift in the way we power the world."
But last week's election in the United States underscores the urgency of the issue, and this film. Said Stevens: "Our new administration could dismantle all the good and forward momentum that has occurred over the past few years if campaign promises are actually kept. However, let's do everything in our power to make President-elect Trump understand that man-made climate change is not only real, but is happening at an alarming rate. We are currently trying to get him to watch the film and to get Leo and other leaders in the climate movement an audience with the president-elect."
Critics called the film "a rousing call to action" and "the climate change documentary Americans need to see.'" National Geographic Channel took this call to heart, and BEFORE THE FLOOD received a rollout never before seen for a documentary film, first with a limited theatrical release in New York, Los Angeles and London, then making its global television debut on Sunday, Oct. 30, on National Geographic Channel in 171 countries and 45 languages.
It was also available free for 10 days through Nov. 8 on a record number of digital and streaming platforms across the globe, including NatGeoTV.com and Nat Geo Apps, VOD, iTunes, Hulu, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and more. The film marks National Geographic's continued push into premium programming, cementing the network's position as a leader in science, adventure and exploration.
"For 128 years, National Geographic has been committed to preserving our planet," said Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic Global Networks. "We are thrilled that we were able to reach so many people with BEFORE THE FLOOD and will continue to use every resource in our arsenal to educate the world on the global climate threats we face, and arm people with the resources and knowledge to take action."
The record-setting numbers included more than 60 million unique viewers globally across linear, digital and social platforms, including 30 million viewers on National Geographic Channel in the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Latin America (U.S.: 8.5MM; Asia & Australia: 6.9MM; Europe & Africa: 10.6MM; Latin America: 3.0MM) as well as 13.4 million views on YouTube. On average, across linear TV viewing and YouTube, viewers watched at least 22 minutes of the film. In total, across all platforms, more than ONE BILLION minutes of the documentary have been viewed.
And beyond those impressive numbers, BEFORE THE FLOOD was also made available for free to more than 50,000 college students with campus screenings across the U.S., and more than 1,500 requests have been fulfilled from colleges, religious institutions and other organizations for private screening events around the world. The film trended on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook during its entire release. National Geographic is committed to continuing to make the film available to educators, who should email beforetheflood@natgeo.com with requests.
In BEFORE THE FLOOD DiCaprio interviews individuals from every facet of society in both developing and developed nations who provide unique, impassioned and pragmatic views on what must be done today and in the future to transition our economic and political systems into environmentally friendly institutions. The film can still be viewed on NatGeoTV.com with an authenticated cable subscription.
The feature documentary was an official selection at the Toronto Film Festival, London Film Festival and Hamptons International Film Festival. Recently, BEFORE THE FLOOD was screened at the White House as part of the South By South Lawn event on Oct. 3 and at the United Nations on Oct. 20, hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry participating in a Q&A session.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PRESENTS WITH RATPAC DOCUMENTARY FILMS
AN APPIAN WAY PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH INSURGENT DOCS AND DIAMOND DOCS
A FILM BY LEONARDO DiCAPRIO AND FISHER STEVENS
BEFORE THE FLOOD
MARK MONROE EDITED BY GEOFFREY RICHMAN A.C.E BEN SOZANSKI
ABHAY SOFSKY AND BRETT BANKS
CINEMATOGRAPHER ANTONIO ROSSI EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCERS TRENT REZNOR & ATTICUS ROSS
MUSIC BY TRENT REZNOR & ATTICUS ROSS, GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA AND MOGWAI
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS MARTIN SCORSESE ADAM BARDACH MARK MONROE AND ZARA DUFFY
PRODUCED BY FISHER STEVENS TREVOR DAVIDOSKI JENNIFER DAVISSON BRETT RATNER AND JAMES PACKER
PRODUCED BY LEONARDO DiCAPRIO DIRECTED BY FISHER STEVENS
(C) 2016 RatPac Documentary Films, LLC and Greenhour Corporation, Inc.
All rights reserved.
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About National Geographic Partners LLC
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 128 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers... and reaching over 730 million people around the world in 171 countries and 45 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27% of our proceeds to the non-profit 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, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
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