( CNN ) -- What do you get when you combine gorillas , Leonard DiCaprio and Netflix ? A hit , the media company hopes . Netflix announced Friday that it will team up with DiCaprio -- who it described as a `` an actor , producer and philanthropist '' -- to distribute a documentary film entitled `` VIRUNGA , '' about the quest to save endangered mountain gorillas in the eastern Congo park by that name . `` With VIRUNGA , we 'll work with Leo to introduce viewers around the world to an incredible , gripping story that will have audiences guessing right up until the final act , '' said Ted Sarandos , Netflix 's chief content officer . The fact Netflix is getting behind a high-profile production is nothing new . After all , it has produced the critically acclaimed series `` House of Cards '' and `` Orange is the New Black , '' not to mention the reboot of `` Arrested Development . '' But what makes this unique is that it 's a film , not a series , and it will come out in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on November 7 . That 's the same day `` VIRUNGA , '' which is directed by Orlando von Einsiedel , will roll out on Netflix as well . According to its website , the film chronicles how a `` a small and embattled team of park rangers -- including an ex-child soldier turned ranger , a carer of orphan gorillas and a Belgian conservationist -- protect ( Virunga National Park ) from armed militia , poachers and the dark forces struggling to control Congo 's rich natural resources . '' `` VIRUNGA '' has n't been distributed widely , but it has racked up a number of awards from the likes of the Tribeca Film Festival , DOXA and American Film Institute . DiCaprio , its executive producer , called the partnership with Netflix `` an exciting opportunity to inform and inspire individuals to engage on this topic . '' `` Films like VIRUNGA are powerful stories that are a window into the incredible cultural and natural diversity of our world , the forces that are threatening to destroy it , and the people who are fighting to protect it , '' the actor added . Mountain gorillas are a subspecies of the eastern gorilla discovered in 1902 and imperiled in recent days by war , hunting , disease and other threats . There are a little less than 800 of them in the wild now , according to the World Wildlife Fund , about half of those in the Virunga Mountains bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo , Rwanda and Uganda . A child actor who broke through on the sitcom `` Growing Pains '' and became an international sensation after the film `` Titanic , '' DiCaprio is one of Hollywood 's most respected and bankable actors . From the 1990s through today , he has starred in such films as `` Gangs of New York , '' `` The Aviator , '' `` Catch Me If You Can '' and more recently `` The Wolf of Wall Street . '' He has also developed a reputation , and tried to break ground , outside the cinematic world . He is an activist on issues ranging from protecting elephants and tigers to safeguarding habitats in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and climate change . He made remarks at a United Nations summit last month on that subject . In September , the Clinton Global Initiative , an effort led by former U.S. President Bill Clinton , gave DiCaprio one of its `` Global Citizen '' awards . `` Through grantmaking , public campaigns and media projects , DiCaprio has worked to bring much-needed attention and funding to three focus areasâ€ ” protecting biodiversity , ocean and forest conservation , and climate change , '' that organization says on its website . `` ... DiCaprio uses digital media to inform and inspire the public , offering them ways to take action on an array of issuesâ€ ” from protecting sharks in California and elephants in Africa to supporting the transition of our society to clean , renewable energy . ''
`` VIRUNGA '' is a documentary about park rangers protecting mountain gorillas in Africa . It has won numerous awards , and now will be distributed in select theaters and via Netflix . The documentary is executive produced by acclaimed actor Leonardo DiCaprio .