Channel 4 is to broadcast The 11th Hour, the polemical documentary about the environment fronted by Leonardo DiCaprio. In the documentary, which the channel will transmit on May 25, leading scientists, environmentalists, politicians and activists advance the argument that the Earth is facing environmental disaster, and ask what can be done.
Notable figures featured in The 11th Hour include professor Stephen Hawking, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai speak about global warming, deforestation, mass species extinction and the depletion of the oceans' habitats. The film also calls for restorative action to change global human activity through technology, social responsibility and conservation.
It lays responsibility for the warming of the planet mostly on the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere and also makes the claim that not since a meteor hit the planet 55m years ago have so many forms of life become extinct. The film, narrated and produced by DiCaprio, was written and directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners. It received critical praise when it premiered at the Canned Film Festival last year, with Times film writer James Christopher describing it as "brilliant and terrifying".
However, it also attracted some criticism, with former Greenpeace member Patrick Moore branding the film as "Hollywood hype" in an article for the Vancouver Sun. Channel 4 has bought the UK broadcast right to the documentary from Hollywood studio Warner Bros. Warner Home Video UK has also scheduled a DVD release of the film for June.
