Dozens of top Hollywood creatives and activists have signed an open letter in response to the shuttering of production company Participant, urging the industry to continue using film and television as catalysts for social change.
Signatories include George Clooney, Alfonso 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 groups like GLAAD and Human Rights Watch. The letter, coordinated by the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), highlights the impactful collaboration with Participant and director Cuarón on the visibility campaign for the 2018 Oscar-winning film “Roma.”
“As we say goodbye to Participant, we must underscore that values-based storytelling is needed now more than ever,” the letter states. “An entire ecosystem of individuals, connected by Participant’s 20 years of work, stands ready to collaborate.”
Founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, Participant stunned and saddened the industry last month when Variety announced its closure. The company earned 21 Academy Awards from 86 nominations and grossed over $3.3 billion globally. Beyond accolades and box office success, Participant championed a “double bottom line” business model—producing films that address humanitarian issues, equity, and corruption.
“Roma,” which poignantly portrayed the life of a domestic worker in Mexico City, sparked renewed discussions on workers’ rights, leading to the introduction of the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in Congress. This bill, soon to be reintroduced, continues to gain support and momentum. This kind of impact is what the group urges the entertainment industry to sustain as media faces uncertain times.
“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.”
Here is the full list of names that signed 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 RamÃrez (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
