Leonardo DiCaprio calls for protection of indigenous communities at Golden Globes

Leonardo DiCaprio urged for the protection of indigenous communities around the world when he picked up a Golden Globe award for The Revenant on Sunday night (10Jan16).

The actor won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama at the Beverly Hills prizegiving, beating the likes of Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl) and Will Smith (Concussion), thanks to his portrayal of real-life 19th century frontiersman Hugh Glass.

The role, which sees his character mauled by a bear and left for dead, opened DiCaprio to the world of indigenous communities, including the first nations, the group of various Aboriginal peoples who live in Canada, where The Revenant was filmed.

And during his acceptance speech at the ceremony, DiCaprio made sure to give a special mention to the group of citizens he came to learn much about through the film, and pushed for protection of their culture and their sacred land.

"I wanna share this award with all the first nations people represented in this film and all the indigenous communities around the world," DiCaprio said. "It is time that we recognize history, and that we protect your indigenous lands from corporate interests and people out there to exploit them. It's time we heard your voice and protected this planet for future generations."

DiCaprio, who now has a total of three career Golden Globes, won the trophy just before The Revenant picked up the top honor of the night for Best Motion Picture: Drama.