In open letter to the entertainment industry made public on Tuesday, A-listers including George Clooney, Ava DuVernay, Matt Damon and Kerry Washington stated that “values-based storytelling is needed now more than ever” to “expand the room for debate, to open our hearts to experiences vastly different from our own, to immerse us in the beauty of humanity’s complexities.” The group of 118 filmmaker, activist and nonprofit signatories, which also includes Kerry Washington, Jane Fonda, Michael Mann, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón, added, “We call upon Hollywood to meet the moment. There is a whole ecosystem of people, connected by the work of the last 20 years of Participant, ready to work with you.”

The letter states that, with its work, Participant “never underestimated the public’s appetite for thought provoking subject matter.” Behind the scenes, meanwhile, Participant “forever changed the landscape of our public conversation and popular culture” by pairing filmmakers with advocacy groups and activists dedicated to causes that intersected with their stories. (Signatories of the letter include advocates like #MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke, Color of Change president Rashad Robinson and Equal Justice Initiative executive director Bryan Stevenson.)

The group added, “As we reflect on the accomplishments of Participant, we look forward to championing the next generation of producers that will build upon Participant’s extraordinary body of work, integrating learnings it has offered, seeding new partnerships and innovating within this new media landscape.”

Poo, who worked with Participant on The Help, Shirley and Out of My Mind, said that, even as an industry-wide contraction sweeps Hollywood, social-impact films “need to get made.” She added, “There’s a market for this and it just needs to continue. And everyone in Hollywood I think has a role to play in making sure that it does.”

Friends of Filmmaking and Impact,

20 years ago, long before social impact had a place in Hollywood, Participant launched stories into our culture with the explicit goal of changing it. Participant empowered bold storytelling with their faith in the vision of filmmakers, trust in advocates and social movements to utilize those narratives in dynamic campaigns, and most importantly, they never underestimated the public’s appetite for thought provoking subject matter that could power new narratives and offer fresh perspectives.

As we say goodbye to Participant, we must underscore that values-based storytelling is needed now more than ever; to expand the room for debate, to open our hearts to experiences vastly different from our own, to immerse us in the beauty of humanity’s complexities. And in the face of unprecedented change and uncertainty, we need deep partnerships between great storytellers, advocates and movements for change now more than ever, to remind us of our agency in shaping the future and the power of our actions. The future and health of our culture and democracy requires more of us to participate, spread hope, and humanity. Democracy is a living, breathing being that we, as participants, give life.

As we reflect on the accomplishments of Participant, we look forward to championing the next generation of producers that will build upon Participant’s extraordinary body of work, integrating learnings it has offered, seeding new partnerships and innovating within this new media landscape. We call upon Hollywood to meet the moment. There is a whole ecosystem of people, connected by the work of the last 20 years of Participant, ready to work with you.