As Participant Closes, 60 Stars and Directors Sign Open Letter for Hollywood to Keep ‘Harnessing the Power of Art to Change the World’
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.”
More from Variety
“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:
Riz Ahmed
Cristela Alonzo
Courtney Andrialis-Vincent
Yalitza Aparicio
Rosanna Arquette
AV Squad
Justin Baldoni
John Battsek
J.A. Bayona
LaTosha Brown, Black Voters Matter
Scott Budnick, The Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) and 1Community
Tarana Burke, Me Too Movement
Sophia Bush
CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment)
Caring Across Generations
Linda Yvette Chavez
Don Cheadle
George Clooney
Julie Cohen
Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Julie Ann Crommett, Collective Moxie
Alfonso Cuarón
Alan Cumming
Richard Curtis
Matt Damon
Destin Daniel Cretton
Viola Davis
Heino Deckert
Define American
Juan Devis
June Diane Raphael
Daveed Diggs
Abigail Disney
Mark Duplass
Ava DuVernay
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Enfield Road
Brandee Evans
Evotion Media
Vera Farmiga
Jane Fonda
DeVon Franklin
Geena Davis Institute
Anna Gerb
GLAAD
Gold House
Goldcrest Films
Yoni Golijov
Good Energy
Fatima Goss Graves, National Women’s Law Center
Clark Gregg
Davis Guggenheim
Mark Hamill
Ed Harris
Crystal Echo Hawk, IllumiNative
Jamey Heath
Matthew Heineman
Dr. Alisha Hines, The Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA
Louise Hogarth
honto88
IllumiNative
In Creative Company
Alejandro G. Iñarritu
Maikiko James, Women in Film
Steve James
Raquel Jaramillo
Michael Keaton
Daniel Dae Kim
Regina King
Shaka King
Elba Luis Lugo
Diego Luna
MACRO
Michael Mann
Stephanie Marin
Neyda Martinez, THE NEW SCHOOL
Paola Mendoza
Alyssa Milano
Andria Wilson Mirza, Women in Film
National Domestic Workers Alliance
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT)
Yvette Nicole Brown
Sue Obeidi, Muslim Public Affairs Council Hollywood Bureau
Joshua Oppenheimer
Anshantia Oso, BLD PWR/BLD PWR Productions
David Oyelowo
Piper Perabo
Pierpoline Films
Pillars Fund
Laura Poitras
Ai-jen Poo, The National Domestic Workers Alliance & Caring Across Generations
Pop Culture Collaborative
PopShift
Dawn Porter
Mónica Ramírez, Justice for Migrant Women & The Latinx House
Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Rashad Robinson, Color of Change
Jess Morales Rocketto, Equis Institute
Anthony D. Romero, American Civil Liberties Union
Audrey Rosenberg
Yvonne Russo
Kendrick Sampson, BLD PWR/BLD PWR Productions
Liz Sargent
Steve Sarowitz
Vicki Shabo, New America Better Life Lab’s Entertainment Initiative
Martin Sheen
Octavia Spencer
Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative
Storyline Partners
tao/s
The League
Baratunde Thurston
Yalda T. Uhls, The Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA
USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center
Christine Vachon
Gloria Walton, The Solutions Project
Kerry Washington
Betsy West
Women in Animation (WIA)
Sophie Yan, Everytown for Gun Safety
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
