The 2015 Oscar ceremony, taking place on 22 February, will not only be an evening of Hollywood's biggest stars and glamour — it will also be an evening for the environment and biodiversity, an evening for gorillas.

The last paradise of the mountain gorilla

The nomination of the documentary film Virunga has indeed been announced. Shot in the eponymous national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a Unesco World Heritage Site, the film, directed by Orlando Von Einsiedel, is in the running for the Oscar in the documentary category, and shows us one of the richest and most fragile ecosystems on the planet, home to some of the last remaining mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), a species severely threatened by poaching, civil war, and now oil extraction.

Dian Fossey, the gorillas' friend

It was in Virunga National Park that Dian Fossey, an American zoologist who devoted her life to the study and protection of mountain gorillas and who was murdered in her cabin — possibly by poachers — conducted her research. Her story is told in the film Gorillas in the Mist, starring Sigourney Weaver.

Virunga, the film

The film Virunga tells the story of a group of people who risk their lives every day to protect the park and its precious biodiversity. Alongside the gorillas, the park's defenders, led by director Emmanuel de Mérode, are the film's undisputed protagonists — true heroes fighting on the front line in defence of nature. Over the past 30 years, the park has lost as many as 150 members of staff, killed in conflicts or by poachers.

WWF's comment

"The 2015 Oscar nomination will give a tremendous boost to the global spread of the documentary's message — namely, the importance of defending a unique heritage where a daily battle for the protection of biodiversity is being fought," said Isabella Pratesi, international conservation director of WWF Italy.

Even if it does not take home the statuette, Virunga has already achieved something extraordinary and will leave an indelible mark on all who watch it. 22 February will be the evening of the gorillas and of an extraordinary African park.