Hollywood strike: Spielberg donates $1.5 million

The couple Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw made a contribution of 1.5 million dollars to support the Hollywood strikers. The generous offering was divided between the powerful actors union SAG-AFTRA and the Entertainment Community Fun association, reports the specialist site Deadline.

The couple of filmmakers follow in the footsteps of many eminent personalities of the seventh art. George and Amal Clooney, Luciana and Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Julia Roberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey, to name but a few, signed large checks at powerful actors' union bringing together 160,000 members. Without forgetting the personalities who recently launched their own funds to support the strikers, like the creator Ryan Murphy behind the hit series Glee or Nip/Tuck.

Since May, the Hollywood strike has paralyzed the American film industry. Initiated by the screenwriters before being joined, in July, by the actors of the powerful SAG-AFTRA union, the movement has lasted more than 130 days of conflict. The two professions are demanding salary increases, better distribution of income generated by streaming and guarantees against the emergence of artificial intelligence in their professions.

Postponed film releases, private star festivals... The social movement, the most important in several decades, is seriously disrupting Hollywood production. And its repercussions are felt far beyond. The Deauville American Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival saw their red carpets stripped of American stars, with SAG-AFTRA guidelines prohibiting all of its members from filming and promoting their productions, in person or on social media.

Financially, the studios are experiencing big setbacks. In a press release, published at the beginning of September, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) studios announced a loss of between $300 and $500 million. And the standoff still seems far from being resolved. The strike in Hollywood is far from cinema.