Because of the abortion ban
Filmmakers are giving major US studios an ultimatum
Among the signers of the letter are star directors JJ Abrams (left) and Taika Waititi
© Birdie Thompson/AdMedia/ImageCollect/Paul Smith/Featureflash 2011/ImageCollect
Hundreds of filmmakers formulate a fire letter to production companies – including an ultimatum.
Last week, 411 cinema, TV and streaming creators wrote a fire letter to the executives of the major US film studios – initially all women. They call for special safety protocols for pregnant workers filming in US states where abortion is or will soon be illegal.
A response to the Supreme Court’s controversial ruling overturning the Roe v Wade decision. Effective immediately, the right to an abortion is no longer guaranteed nationwide, but can be banned entirely at the state level in individual US states.
Appeal to all major production companies
Now, after burgeoning criticism regarding the previous silence, her male colleagues are following suit. A total of 594 men, including well-known personalities such as JJ Abrams (56, “Star Wars”), Taika Waititi (46, “Thor”), Ryan Murphy (56, “Eat Pray Love”), Donald Glover (38, “Atlanta”) or Aaron Sorkin (56, “Steve Jobs”) wrote to the identical companies. The body of the letter is brief, stating only that the signers stand with their “female, trans and non-binary fellow showrunners and call for a response from our employers to the crisis ahead.” Writing went to production companies Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros., Discovery, Paramount, Apple, NBC Universal, Amazon, Lionsgate and AMC.
The new letter picks up on the women’s identical formulation that the studios should comment in writing by August 10, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. At the core of the demand, an emergency plan should be set up that would enable employees to leave states such as Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana safely and financed by the studios in order to be able to have an abortion.
Georgia in particular relies on the entertainment industry
Protocols are to be drawn up for such eventualities, in relation to “criminal and civil protection” for those who want to have an abortion. In addition, all donations to anti-abortion candidates and political action committees are to be stopped immediately. Georgia in particular is a popular location for US productions due to tax incentives. The entertainment industry is considered vital to local society.
The signers of the first letter include Shonda Rhimes (52, “Grey’s Anatomy”), Issa Rae (37, “Insecure”), Amy Sherman-Palladino (56, “Gilmore Girls”) and Natasha Lyonne (43, ” Orange Is the New Black”).