Making the Film

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After collaborating on two short films (Global Warning, Water Planet), filmmakers Nadia Conners, Leila Conners Petersen and Leonardo DiCaprio set out to explore the larger story of the human experience on the planet. Seeking out credible voices to speak to the history of the human species, the state of the oceans, land and air, and social, design and political challenges for change, the trio ultimately netted 150 hours of interviews with over 70 scientists, designers, historians and thinkers. "We reached out to independent experts on the front lines of what could be the greatest challenge of our time – the collapse of our planet's ecosystems and our search for solutions to create a sustainable future," says Leonardo DiCaprio.

"We ourselves wanted to understand why humans were on a crash course with nature, and what we had to do to change course," says Co-Writer/Co-Director/Producer Leila Conners Petersen. Her sister and collaborator, Nadia Conners, adds, "One of the great things about doing this project was being able to meet people that inspired me or opened my mind through their work and writings. It was a great honor and a huge learning experience."

The 11th Hour examines the human relationship with earth from its earliest glimmers of innovation to the challenges humanity faces in the present to the possibilities of the future. "It was the human mind that was the key to our very survival," David Suzuki, an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster, says in the film. "Now, when you think that we evolved in Africa about a hundred and fifty thousand years ago, and compared to the other animals that must have been on the plains of that time, we weren't very impressive. We weren't very many; we weren't very big; we weren't gifted with special senses. The one thing, the key to our survival and our taking over the planet, was the human brain. But because the human mind invented the concept of a future, we're the only animal on the planet that actually was able to recognize: we could affect the future by what we do today."

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