Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig lead filmmakers warning that cinemas face extinction

Dozens of filmmakers have signed an open letter, including Judd Apatow, Barry Jenkins, Sofia Coppola, Clint Eastwood and Wes Anderson

Dozens of prominent filmmakers have signed an open letter warning the US Congress that physical cinemas face extinction.

Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig, Clint Eastwood, Lulu Wang, Martin Scorsese and more have signed an appeal for additional pandemic relief in light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The letter comes in light of a looming threat to physical cinemas, as AMC, the largest cinema chain in the US, said in June it could go out of business following a record loss of $2.4 billion in the first quarter of the year.

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“Cinemas are an essential industry that represent the best that American talent and creativity have to offer. But now we fear for their future,” the letter began, per The Hollywood Reporter.

“Our country cannot afford to lose the social, economic and cultural value that theaters provide. The moviegoing experience is central to American life. Theaters are great unifiers where our nation’s most talented storytellers showcase their cinematic accomplishments.”

The letter went on to highlight that cinemas “support millions of jobs in movie production and distribution, and countless others in surrounding restaurants and retailers that rely on theaters for foot traffic.

“Movie theaters are also leaders in employing underrepresented groups, including people with disabilities, senior citizens, and first-time job holders.”

The letter was sent by the National Association of Theatre Owners, the Directors Guild of America and the Motion Picture Association, addressing Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.

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Here’s the full list of filmmakers who signed the document:

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Agustín Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Wes Anderson
Judd Apatow
Jon Avnet
Sean Baker
Noah Baumbach
Michael Bay
Susanne Bier
Barbara Broccoli
James Cameron
Antonio Campos
Damien Chazelle
Jon M. Chu
Sofia Coppola
Alfonso Cuarón
Lee Daniels
Dean Devlin
Clint Eastwood
Andrew Erwin
Jon Erwin
Paul Feig
Shana Feste
Scott Frank
Cary Joji Fukunaga
Greta Gerwig
Evan Goldberg
Paul Greengrass
Leslie Greif
Luca Guadagnino
Catherine Hardwicke
Alma Har’el
Albert Hughes
Allen Hughes
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Barry Jenkins
Patty Jenkins
Rian Johnson
Miranda July
Nicole Kassell
Jon Landau
Francis Lawrence
Mimi Leder
Ang Lee
Rob Letterman
Shawn Levy
Richard Linklater
James Mangold
Sam Mendes
Adam McKay
Steve McQueen
Ted Melfi
Reed Morano
Christopher Nolan
David O. Russell
Jordan Peele
Todd Phillips
Guy Ritchie
Seth Rogen
Joachim Rønning
Michael R. Roskam
Martin Scorsese
M. Night Shyamalan
Zack Snyder
Steven Soderbergh
Joey Soloway
David E. Talbert
Betty Thomas
Emma Thomas
Liesl Tommy
Denis Villeneuve
Taika Waititi
James Wan
Lulu Wang
Chris Weitz
Paul Weitz
Michael G. Wilson
Edgar Wright
Joe Wright
Cathy Yan
David Yates

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