Dozens of top Hollywood creatives and activists have signed an open letter in response to the shuttering of production company Participant - imploring the industry to continue to effect change through film and television as the defunct company once did.
George Clooney, Aflonso Cuarón, Ava DuVernay, Jane Fonda, Regina King, Viola Davis, #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, Color of Change president Rashad Robinson and more are signators, in addition to groups like GLAAD and Human Rights Watch. The letter was coordinated by the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), which collaborated with Participant and director Cuarón on a visibility campaign for his 2018 Oscar winner "Roma."
"As we say goodbye to Participant, we must underscore that values-based storytelling is needed now more than ever," the letter states. "There is a whole ecosystem of people, connected by the work of the last 20 years of Participant, ready to work with you."
Founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, Participant shocked and saddened the industry last month when Variety broke the news it would close. The company won 21 Academy Awards out of 86 nominations and grossed more than $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office. Beyond trophies and ticket sales, Participant pushed a business model with a "double bottom line" – to make movies about humanitarian issues, equity and corruption.
"Roma," which carefully and emotionally depicted the life of a domestic in Mexico City, brought renewed conversations around workers' rights - resulting in the first introduction of the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights into Congress, which will be imminently re-introduced and continues to garner support and momentum. This kind of impact is what the group urges show business players to keep alive as media navigates a precarious time.
"Participant's model of filmmaking and partnerships showed us the power of storytelling to open our hearts and inspire action in times of change and uncertainty," said NDWA president Ai-jen Poo. "The open letter is a re-commitment to this work, and an invitation to others to join us in harnessing the power of art to change the world."
Read the full list of names to sign the letter:
George Clooney Ava Duvernay Regina King Kerry Washington Alfonso Cuarón Michael Keaton Diego Luna Chiwetel Ejifor Jane Fonda Vera Farmiga Martin Sheen Sophia Bush Daveed Diggs Destin Davis Cretton Davis Guggenheim David Oyelowo Gabriela Cowperthwaite Alan Cumming Yaltiza Aparicio Yvette Nicole Brown Clark Gregg Alyssa Milano Piper Perabo Rosanna Arquette June Diane Raphael Juan Devis DeVon Franklin Baratunde Thurston Mark Duplass Justin Baldoni Laura Poitras Louise Hogarth Mónica Ramírez (Justice for Migrant Women/The Latinx House) Fatima Goss Graves (National Women's Law Center) Anthony Romero (ACLU) Rashad Robinson (Color of Change) Bryan Stevenson (Equal Justice Initiative) LaTosha Brown (Black Voters Matter) Tarana Burke (Me Too) Yalda T. Uhls (The Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA) Muslim Public Affairs Council Hollywood Bureau New America Better Life Lab's Entertainment Initiative PopShift Storyline Partners Human Rights Watch CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) Pop Culture Collaborative NRDC GLAAD