Leonardo DiCaprio is set to become a backer and advisor to a $150 million environmentally focused fund.

The actor, who has appeared in films like “Titanic” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” will help boutique investment firm Princeville Capital with its new “Climate Technology Fund.” DiCaprio has alreadyraised $100 million through his own Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, founded in 1998, which provides funding to environmental projects such as species conservation and climate change.

However, a recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report indicated that the scale up of private capital efforts towards the environment is key to preventing future environmental catastrophe. Similarly, there is an understanding that future solutions will be technologically focused making investment in this sector increasingly important.

read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/leonardo-dicaprio-is-launching-a-150-million-climate-fund-2019-3

Actor and Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio has long been known for his environmental activism. Now, he’s putting his money where his mouth is as an investor and advisor in its Princeville Capital’s newly-formed climate technology fund.

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Princeville Capital has a combined $500 million worth of assets under management in its current global fund and the new climate technology fund.

This is not DiCaprio’s first foray as an investor. He previously put money into startups such as Allbirds, which specializes in manufacturing eco-friendly wool shoes, and mattress startup Casper.

DiCaprio himself tweeted out the news this morning. In a press release that went out today, he said that addressing climate change “requires an urgent, broad-based shift in our energy use.”

“Technology and private sector investments will play a critical role in securing a healthier future for our planet,” the actor added. “The vision of the Princeville Capital team, and the goals of the Fund are part of this effort and I look forward to working closely with them.”

The Princeville Climate Technology fund is led by founding partners Emmanuel DeSousa, Eric Kosmowski, and Joaquin Rodriguez Torres. It has offices in San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam. The new fund invests in what it describes as “proven, growth-stage technology companies that are driving a positive impact on climate change.” It looks at companies in a variety of sectors including energy efficiency, mobility, smart grid/IOT, and smart cities.

Managing Partner Rodriguez Torres said his firm was “inspired” by DiCaprio’s commitment to tackling climate change through initiatives such as the 1998 formation of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation with the mission of protecting the world’s last wild places.

The actor shared his 2016 Golden Globe with “indigenous communities around the world” – but he is a prominent public backer and board member of the international mega-charity implicated in human rights abuses.

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has called on the World Wide Fund for Nature to fully investigate evidence of human rights abuses by anti-poaching guards it backs at wildlife parks around the world and “provide the public with a full and transparent accounting of their findings”.

The actor sits on the US board of the global mega-charity and his own foundation has worked alongside WWF for years in Nepal’s Terai Arc Landscape, where rangers and soldiers have been accused of crimes including sexual assault, beatings and murder.

A BuzzFeed News investigation exposed on Monday how the beloved wildlife charity has for years funded and equipped paramilitary forces that have tortured and killed villagers living near the national parks it supports.

DiCaprio’s decision to distance himself from WWF in the wake of the revelations will intensify pressure on the charity’s other prominent supporters, including the British naturalist David Attenborough, the tennis player Andy Murray, and the actor Christian Bale, who have so far declined to comment.

There is no evidence that DiCaprio knew of atrocities against indigenous people, and the actor has declined repeated requests to respond personally to the evidence uncovered by BuzzFeed News.

But a spokesperson for his foundation said last night: “The allegations against WWF are extremely concerning. The entire LDF team is committed to funding the most effective environmental projects across the globe, and holds all of its grantee partners – including WWF – accountable to abide by international law and human rights best practices. We urge WWF to complete an independent, comprehensive review of these allegations, and provide the public with a full and transparent accounting of their findings while taking all appropriate corrective measures.”

Oscar-nominated producer Leonardo DiCaprio has tapped Patrick Melrose helmer Edward Berger to direct a film about Volkswagen’s Clean Diesel scandal for Paramount and Appian Way, Collider has exclusively learned.

Emmy-nominated director Berger closed his deal last year, so his attachment is old news in industry circles, but hey, it’s new to the internet! Per Forbes, Oscar winner Charles Randolph (The Big Short) is writing the script, so this is shaping up to quite the prestige project for Paramount, though cameras are still a long ways from rolling.

DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson are producing via their Appian Way banner, which teamed with Paramount to acquire Jack Ewing‘s book Faster Higher Farther: The Inside Story of the Volkswagen Scandal back when it was just a four-page proposal that had sold to publisher Norton in a six-figure deal. Faster, Higher, Farther may end up as the title of the film as well.

The scandal had widespread repercussions, including the resignation of Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn, who allegedly knew that the company had placed illegal software known as “defeat devices” in their Clean Diesel cars. These devices could reportedly tell when a car was being tested for fuel emissions, and would turn on the emissions controls to cheat the test and meet EPA standards. The resulting fallout sent VW’s stock plunging, with the ultimate cost to the company now estimated to be around $30 billion in repairs, customer reimbursement and fines.

DiCaprio is a longtime environmental activist, so naturally, the story spoke to him and he set out to find the movie in there. As a proud Volkswagen leasee for the last decade-plus, I personally hope this project comes to fruition, as I sure am curious about the details of who knew what and when. Ironically, it was recently reported that Volkswagen beat its 2018 forecasts despite the so-called ‘Dieselgate’ scandal, which was previously examined in the documentary Backfired: When VW Lied to America.

Berger’s directing career has renewed momentum following Showtime’s five-part miniseries Patrick Melrose starring Benedict Cumberbatch, who he’s slated to re-team with on the indie movie Rio (aka Let It Come Down) co-starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Call Me By Your Name helmer Luca Guadagnino was previously attached to direct that film for Studiocanal. Berger also directed Sundance TV’s Deutschland 83 and multiple episodes of AMC’s The Terror, while his feature credits include the acclaimed 2014 drama Jack, as well as this year’s All My Loving.

Berger is represented by ICM Partners, Anonymous Content and Casarotto Ramsay & Associates.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Don Cheadle are among those who believe that, in Hollywood, it is possible to do well and do good.

They are among the dozens who contributed to a new report on the intersection of entertainment and social change. Released Tuesday by the Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and Participant Media, the report maps and explores the emerging field by analyzing its successes across film, television, theater and digital short form.

“Studios need to recognize that there’s a big market out there for these kinds of stories,” Cheadle said in the report, in which he discussed how starring in “Hotel Rwanda” changed his career. “[Movies] can help audiences understand what an issue is, what it looks like, and in some instances move them to take action.”

Each case study in the report includes a breakdown of its creation, critical reception, commercial outcome and initiatives implemented to inspire change around a particular issue.

Among its findings, it highlights how the heartwarming hilarity of “Will & Grace” led to positive perceptions of gay men and how 20 years of charitable “Vagina Monologues” performances have raised $100 million for feminist causes. It also sheds light on how the “Icarus” snafu led to the McLaren Report, concluding that “more than 1,000 Russian athletes across over 30 sports benefited from state-sponsored doping between 2012 and 2015.”

At 186 pages, the report shows that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. For example, “Before the Flood,” the DiCaprio-produced documentary about climate change, had an unprecedented release strategy: It was distributed for free on all streaming platforms for 10 days after its global television premiere in 171 countries and 45 languages.

In addition to spotlighting people working to combat climate change, the documentary also aligned with the CarboTax app to raise more than $1 million for reforestation campaigns.

“The idea was to promote widespread individual action,” DiCaprio said in the report. “You want to make sure that your audience walks away with a clear understanding of the steps they can take in their own lives to be part of the change you are seeking to create.”

The report also outlines how diversity, on and off screen, has repeatedly proved to sell well, and that ignoring such stories and audiences is just leaving money on the table. It also lauds organizations — including Time’s Up, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the Sundance Institute and Ava DuVernay’s Array Alliance, among others — that have been working to improve inclusion in the entertainment industry.

“Films like ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Girls Trip,’ ‘Get Out’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ are proving that films focused on people of color have their own audience and can reach mainstream audiences too,” said “Love & Basketball” writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood in the report. “It seems clear that moviegoers are bored with the status quo, of looking up at the screen and seeing only white characters.”

The report identifies some common characteristics among the successes of social-impact entertainment: a strong focus on the story, a deep knowledge of the issue, strategic alliances with key partners and clever distribution plans to connect with viewers.

Its creators hope it encourages others to enter the space — one that is promising not just socially and environmentally, but also financially, especially as distribution platforms continue to evolve.

“These new Gen Z consumers care about these issues and investing in companies who make a difference in the world,” Peter Bisanz, Skoll Center SIE’s executive director, told The Times. “You can actually accomplish two goals at the same time — by producing content that connects with them that normal content won’t — and it doesn’t cost you any more to do it.”

Such a directory can help combat what Skoll Center SIE deems “screenwashing,” the Hollywood equivalent of “greenwashing” in which productions or studios tout a superficial appearance of an ethical commitment to the greater good without actually integrating it into the content or company.

“Audiences are not having it anymore. They’re not putting up with things the way they once were,” “Milk” writer Dustin Lance Black, who also contributed to the report, told The Times. “This isn’t ‘politically correct’ — which is just an older generation, as far as I’m concerned, getting upset that things are looking a bit unrecognizable to them. This is accurate and authentic, the way the world has always been, and now [the industry] is just acknowledging it.”

What about the worry that social-impact entertainment makes TV shows, movies and theater way too didactic?

“Well, that’s just bad writing!” Black said with a laugh. “Good creators, writers and filmmakers can convey the truth in ways that are entertaining. And if it feels too preachy, then that’s not their best work.”

Oscar-winning actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio has convinced Russian authorities to release 100 captive Beluga whales. This news comes shortly after Leonardo tweeted a plea for the whales on Tuesday, asking his more than 18 million followers to sign a petition demanding the release of the whales. The actor’s tweet received over 20,000 likes and the Change.org petition it was linked to received over 900,000 signatures, reports People.com.

“Please sign this petition and join me in speaking out against the inhumane capture of orcas and belugas in Russia (sic),” Leo had tweeted. According to The Mirror, the whales are yet to be released, even though President Vladimir Putin was personally involved in issuing the order. The delay is reportedly due to officials taking time to figure out the best way to safely release the whales.

Titanic is one of the most successful movies ever made, and a Hollywood star has revealed she turned down a role in the film.

Appearing on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, 63-year-old country singer Reba McEntire revealed she was initially cast as the “unsinkable” Molly Brown in the 1997 blockbuster, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

But she had to turn down the epic romantic drama due to scheduling conflicts.

“We were on tour and I had a lot of people on the payroll and we had these three months to do the movie,” McEntire said.

“And then they got behind on scheduling and said, ‘No, we’re going to have to move it in this time.’ So we couldn’t reschedule all the arenas and everything.”

The memorable role would eventually go to Oscar-winning actor Kathy Bates.

The movie, directed by James Cameron, became an instant worldwide sensation, earning over $2 billion at the box office and 11 Oscars.

When Cohen, 50, asked McEntire if it killed her that Titanic went on to become such a huge hit without her, she said, “Well, sure, absolutely.”

“But you got to take care of your people,” she added.

Thankfully McEntire has earned her own success as one of the most influential artists in country music.

People magazine shared that as “The Queen of Country”, McEntire has sold over 56 million album copies worldwide.

McEntire’s 29th studio album, Stronger Than the Truth, is set for release on April 5.

She will also host the 2019 ACM Awards in Las Vegas that same month for a record 16th time.

In 2015, McEntire told Fox News that her “love of music,” as well as “curiosity” and “trying to find new songs” has kept her going for more than four decades in the music industry.

“I love music and I love to listen to music,” she explained at the time. “I like to hear stories sung in songs because music is very healing. “I’m very curious about what everybody else finds interesting and what touches their hearts. I love to go to concerts and I like to be a part of it. I love the competition.”

This story originally appeared in Fox News and has been republished with permission.

US actor Leonardo DiCaprio has shown his support for protesters who took part in last Friday’s climate change youth strike. The actor ‘regrammed’ an image of school children taking part in the strike in Brighton.

Read more at: https://www.brightonandhoveindependent.co.uk/news/environment/leonardo-dicaprio-shows-support-for-students-on-brighton-climate-march-1-8820242