“We Are Guardians,” a documentary presented by executive producer Leonardo DiCaprio and producer Fisher Stevens, has raised over $1 million in rainforest preservation efforts through its charitable campaign ahead of a New York theatrical release Friday.
The project from co-directors Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene and Rob Grobman is touring nationally in theaters through September and spotlights efforts by Indigenous leaders to protect the Brazilian Amazon amid invasion and deforestation.
“This is one of the most effective and successful documentary impact campaigns I have been involved with over my career,” Oscar-winning documentarian Stevens (“The Lincoln Project”) said in a statement. “Our team has hit and now surpassed all of our initial goals for the film, and we are only getting started.”
The documentary specifically focuses on the Indigenous people of Tembé and Guajajara in Brazil. As illegal loggers and invaders propagate deforestation on their land, individuals within these communities act as “Guardians” in a bid to protect nature and their home.
The documentary impact campaign for “We Are Guardians” has made significant progress over the course of its 890 screenings worldwide. The campaign equipped six teams of guardians like those covered in the film to help them combat deforestation, allowing them to protect 1.5 million acres; likewise, nearly $300,000 has been provided to the communities featured in the documentary to help with training and resources. The impact campaign provided roughly $150,000 for reforestation efforts.
It’s easy to see how a project like this would be appealing to DiCaprio. For decades, the actor has served as a staunch advocate for environmentalism and combatting the climate crisis. DiCaprio has produced and worked on a number of climate and environmental documentaries since rising to fame in the 1990s.
“We Are Guardians” first premiered back in 2023, at the Hot Docs Festival in Canada. The documentary screened at a number of other festivals over the years, winning a handful of awards. Since June 2025, the documentary has premiered in several U.S. cities on a tour it will continue through late September. The film is available on Netflix in Brazil and all of Latin America and on Amazon’s Prime Video in Germany and the U.K.
