Climate change documentary Before the Flood premieres in the UAE

The documentary was shot over a two-year period and follows Oscar winning actor and UN Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio as he attempts to finds causes and present solutions to the global plight that is climate change.

Leonardo DiCaprio interviews US President Barack Obama for Before the Flood. Courtesy: National Geographic
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The high profile environmental documentary Before the Flood will premiere on Sunday, October 30, on National Geographic Abu Dhabi and Emirates TV.

Produced by Fisher Stevens, the man behind the 2010 Academy Award winning documentary The Cove, Behind the Flood was shot over a two-year period and follows Oscar winning actor and UN Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio as he attempts to finds causes and present solutions to the global plight that is climate change.

Di Caprio interviews a variety of global leaders and decision makers including US president Barack Obama and and former president Bill Clinton, Pope Francis and recently retired United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

From Greenland to Indonesia, Di Caprio documents the increasing damage climate change has inflicted on some of the world’s picturesque landscapes with numerous wildlife now at risk of extinction.

“Climate change is the most fundamental threat facing our planet,” said DiCaprio in a statement. “We must work together as a collective voice to demand major action now. Our very survival depends on it. This documentary translates the symptoms and solutions of climate change before information is distorted, as it often is, by those with a financial interest in fossil fuel production.”

Before the Flood is screened at 10pm on National Geographic Abu Dhabi and 10.30pm on Emirates TV, both channels are owned by Abu Dhabi, which also publishes The National.

The film will also be freely available online on National Geographic Abu Dhabi’s website for one week after the broadcast.

Before the Flood will also screen on the same day in English on all international National Geographic channels and the broadcaster Star Movies.

"Before the Flood highlights the core purpose of National Geographic Abu Dhabi which is to raise awareness about our world and the environment," said Abdul Hadi Al Sheikh, Abu Dhabi Media's executive director of television.

National Geographic Abu Dhabi's general manager Sanjay Raina added: "Climate change is a pressing issue which we need to act upon immediately rather than sometime in the future. Before the Flood is an eye-opener and a must-watch as it puts climate change in the front seat and inspires us to act now".

For more details go to www.natgeotv.com/me

artslife@thenational.ae