As Participant Closes, 60 Stars and Directors Sign Open Letter for Hollywood to Keep ‘Harnessing the Power of Art to Change the World’
variety.comMatt Donnelly Senior Film Writer 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.
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