05 February 2020
Newsdesk
Joaquin Phoenix has joined forces with Extinction Rebellion and Amazon Watch to make a film highlighting the importance of tackling climate change.
The ‘Joker’ star is known for his activism - including being a vocal animal rights activist - and has partnered with the climate change activist groups to produce a short film titled ‘Guardians of Life’, which is part of a new campaign to engage the public in different aspects of the Climate and Ecological Emergency.
Joaquin is joined in the two-minute film by an array of Hollywood stars including Rosario Dawson, Matthew Modine, Q'orianka Kilcher, Oona Chaplin, Adria Arjona, and Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes.
The clip, which is set in an Emergency Room, acts as a Public Service Announcement (PSA) for the plight of the Amazon and its indigenous communities, and an alarm call for deforestation and biodiversity loss taking place in every corner of the globe, as a result of devastating wildfires, droughts, floods and storms.
Joaquin said in a statement: “It’s really a call to action. I did it to raise awareness about the meat and dairy industry’s effect on climate change. The fact is we are clear cutting and burning rainforests and seeing the negative effects of those actions worldwide. People don’t realise there’s still time, but only if we act now and make sweeping changes to our consumption. We can’t wait for governments to solve these problems for us. We can’t wait until the election to try to make these changes. We have a personal responsibility to make changes in our own lives and act now.”
The film is the first of a twelve-part series, each part of which will tell a story about the most pressing issues facing the human species as we move into what is believed to be the make or break decade for the survival of life on the planet.
Gail Bradbrook, co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, said: “There is still a disconnect between how bad things are and the action that needs to happen. But that gap is narrowing. There are more significant people starting to break ranks, to tell the truth and act as if it is real.”
The film is available at www.mobilize.earth, which aims to awareness, action and donations, which will go towards the work of Amazon Watch and Extinction Rebellion.
