Released on Netflix in 2014 and was picked up for an Oscar nomination in 2015, Virunga, the documentary, focused on the fight to protect the world’s last mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was directed by Von Einsiedel, who not only spotlighted the biodiversity of Virunga but also factored in how oil exploration and armed conflicts in the region lead to political and economic issues.
This time academy award winners Barry Jenkins and Leonardo DiCaprio are coming together to adapt this one of the most acclaimed documentaries in recent history into a feature film for Netflix. Barry Jenkins will write the script for the film, while Leonardo DiCaprio will produce it through his Appian Way production company. The producers on the project also include Jennifer Davisson and Phillip Watson of Appian Way and Joanna Natasegara of Violet Films. Von Einsiedel will be serving as an executive producer.
Other details about the upcoming film, including a prospective release date, is not yet known. But that wouldn’t dull the excitement as the terrific combination of Jenkins, DiCaprio and Virunga is something that will definitely make it worth the wait. “Virunga” had immediately turned heads when it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2014 and went on to win several awards, including a Peabody Award, after Netflix acquired the rights.
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