The 11th Hour to be shown in Orangeville Oct. 15

While most of us may remember Leonardo DiCaprio for his role in Titanic, he has another side that you may not be aware of. Early on and definitely before it was cool to do so, he was arriving at the Academy Awards in a hybrid. It turns out he has been passionate about the environment since he was a child. He has committed a great deal of time to environmental education, awareness and action through his personal foundation (www.leonardodicaprio.org) and other organizations he has worked with.

Combining both his passions, DiCaprio narrated two short environmental films, entitled Global Warming in 2003 and Water Planet in 2005. Recently he produced and narrated The 11th Hour, a feature-length documentary about the human impact on our planet, which was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

The phrase "the 11th hour" usually refers to the last moment when change is possible. The film explores how we've arrived at this moment - how we live and impact the earth's ecosystems and what we can do to change our course. It features dialogues with experts from all over the world including Mikhail Gorbachev, Stephen Hawking, R. James Woolsey (former head of CIA) and Canadians David Suzuki and Bruce Mau in addition to more than 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who present the facts and discuss the most important issues that face our planet.

The film examines how humanities time on earth has been a short but powerful period in the overall history. How the human drive to ensure its own survival and quality life has revolutionized industry, science, nutrition and medicine. At the same time, it has also effected unprecedented changes in the delicate balance that makes life on earth possible.

"We, as citizens, leaders, consumers and voters, have the opportunity to help integrate ecology into governmental policy and every day living standards," concludes Leonardo DiCaprio. "During this critical period of human history, healing the damage of industrial civilization is the task of our generation. Our response depends on the conscious evolution of our species and this response could very well save this unique blue planet for future generations."

Co-producer Leila Conners Petersen said The 11th Hour is a story about how humans face an extinction crisis if we continue on the path of business as usual.

If you are concerned about our future generations' quality of life, this is a film you won't want to miss. It will be screened on Monday, Oct. 15 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Galaxy Cinemas, Fairgrounds Shopping Centre in Orangeville. Tickets are $8 and available at BookLore in Orangeville and at the door. Forster's Book Garden in Bolton, the Inglewood General Store in Inglewood and the Caledon Countryside Alliance will have tickets available until Friday, Oct. 12. This special event is presented by Monday Night at the Movies (MNM) and Caledon Countryside Alliance (CCA) with all profits donated to the CCA's Weedgee Kidz Program.